Gabriel Bernhard Fedde (1909-2007)

Gabriel Bernhard Fedde (1909-2007)

Biography
Gabriel Bernhard Fedde, an active member of the Oregon State Bar for 71 years, died July 17, 2007 in Beaverton. He was 98. Fedde was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1909 and grew up in the Dano-Norwegian community there. Bernhard attended New York City public schools and received his A.B. in history from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. In 1930-31 he attended the University of Munich on an exchange fellowship in history and political science. He then attended Columbia Law School in New York and received his J.D. in 1936 from the University of Oregon. Fedde was admitted to the Oregon Bar in 1936 and had the honor of presenting cases before the Supreme Court of Oregon, U.S. District Court for Oregon, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court, Treasury Department and the Tax Court of United States. Fedde was the chief relief administrator for the American Friends Service Committee in the British Zone of Germany in 1946-47. In a devastated and beaten Germany, his group was responsible, under the Council of British Societies for Relief Abroad, for feeding half a million German school children with "Quakerspeisung" (Quaker feeding). In defeated Germany there was little food for young children, in fact for anyone. Public opinion was not favorable toward helping the Germans. It was a difficult task to collect and distribute food to the starving and destitute. Food was gleaned from fields and orchards. Community kitchens were established where foods such as nearly spoiled apples could be made into applesauce and juice. The British Friends Relief Service and the American Friends Service Committee together were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for their relief work. In 1964 Fedde completed his A.M. at Oregon State University. He had the honor of attending The Hague Academy of International Law in The Netherlands in both the 1969 and 1970 summer sessions. In addition to a general law practice he specialized in draft, refugee and immigration law. In 1949-50 he was the legal counsel for Lutheran World Federation in Palestine. From 1978 to 1987 he was Vertrauensanwalt for the Consulate-General of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (West Germany) in Seattle. Fluent in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, German and English, and with reading ability in Latin, Dutch and some Icelandic, his language skills presented him with special opportunities. Often he was a key link and brought understanding and settlement of cases or situations in which all participants did not speak the same language or have the same cultural mores. His ability to explain nuances of international law and cultural differences enhanced his ability to help in international cases and disputes. Fedde was adjunct professor in history and international law at Portland State University from 1956 to 1983. He taught political science, U.S. Constitutional law, history of Western civilization, history of the United States, English history, dissent in history, international law, Scandinavian history, and was considered an outstanding teacher and role model by his students. Former students and colleagues describe him as a gentle man with reverence for humanity, fierce in protecting the rights of others and teaching that truth must be pursued. He began teaching Scandinavian history in 1965, and from 1983 to 1990 did so without pay. Fedde lectured widely as an academic expert, both in the United States and Scandinavia. In 1970, he was commentator on papers submitted at the Second Conference on Baltic Studies at San Jose College; in 1971 he was committee chairman at Nansen Symposium in Bergen, Norway, on Law of Refugees; in 1965 he published a book, The Norwegian-Swedish Crisis of 1905; in 1974 he presented "Nordic Prehistory to Nordpackage" at the University of Wisconsin; in 1984 he presented a lecture, "Simon Benson, Evicted Norwegian and Oregon’s Benefactor," at the Society for Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Seattle. In 1985, he participated in a conference at Kungälv, Sweden, on "The Coming of Christianity to Scandinavia, Nordiska Tekniska Hogskola." The full list of papers he presented is too long to mention, but they cover subjects that include: immigration law, refugees, relief, law of the sea, fisheries, oil, territorial seas, Scandinavian History, L’Anse aux Meadows, Scandinavian emigration and more. Professional memberships are also too numerous to mention. A few of his civic and social memberships include: Oregon United Nations Association (state board of directors, and Portland chapter president 1977-1980); Sons of Norway; Scandinavian Club of Portland (president 1977-1982); Nordmanns Forbundet (Norsemen’s Federation) president for over a decade, Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies, Phi Sigma Iota (Foreign Language Honorary Society). Fedde was a founding member of the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation and served on the board from its inception in the 1980s. In 1975, he was appointed by Gov. Straub to represent Oregon at the 1975 Emigrant Sesquicentennial Celebration in Stavanger, Norway. In 1977, King Olav V of Norway awarded him with the very special honor of the Saint Olav’s Medal. Also, in 1977, the Scandinavian Club of Portland named him Scandinavian Man of the Year. In 1983, he was awarded the prestigious William Niskanen Trophy. Fedde was a member of Central Lutheran Church in Portland. For many years he and Johanna assisted with the Norwegian Christmas Service, which draws many attendees in colorful national dress. Fedde is survived by his wife, Johanna Borrevik, and many friends. (Source: Oregon State Bar)