Mr. Frank W. DeFriece, Jr. '46

Frank W. Defriece, Jr. is a native of Bristol, Tennessee. He attended and graduated from Roanoke College in 1946 with a BS in Chemistry, and went on to serve his alma mater for 41 years as a member of the Board. DeFriece joined the board in 1962 and in 1984; he became the chairman of Roanoke College's Society of 1842, an organization which recognized those individuals who have generously included Roanoke College as a beneficiary in their estate plans. Under his leadership, the Society of 1842 expanded tremendously-from 55 members in 1984 to 694 members (as of 2003).

During his tenure on the Board, DeFriece served on the Academic Affairs, Buildings and Grounds, and Student Affairs Committees of the Board. He also serves as the chairman of the Roanoke Fund three times and has personally supported the Roanoke Fund, the Fintel Library, and the Construction of Massengill Auditorium through his various contributions to the College.

Roanoke College awarded DeFriece the Roanoke College Medal in 1969, the highest honor Roanoke College bestows on its alumni, and in 1981, an Honorary Doctor of Human Letters.

Additionally, DeFriece has been recognized as a leader in within his profession. He began his career in 1946 as an employee for the S.E. Massengill Company, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. In 1953, he was named Vice President and General Manager and promoted to President in 1960.

After retiring, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame of the Tri-Cities Region of Tennessee and Virginia. An active member of his community, he had dutifully served as a board member for organizations such as the Bristol YMCA, the Bristol Salvation Army, and American Humanics, INC., the First Tennessee Bank, and the Bristol Rotary Club. He is the retired president of the S.E. Massengill Company.

DeFriece was married and had three children; E. Polly Wills, Paul E. Defriece, and Mark W. DeFriece.

Frank W. DeFriece, Jr. received the Roanoke College Medal in 1969.