Frerichs, Donald L., 1931-2019. Collection, 1949-2016.

Donald L. (Don) Frerichs was born January 3, 1931, in Ocheyedan, Iowa, and graduated from Worthington High School in 1949. He attended Mankato State Teachers College from 1950 to 1954, earning a degree in Business Administration/Industrial Arts. While a student, he distinguished himself as a multi-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track and field. In 1953, Frerichs won the broad jump at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national meet in Texas with a record-setting leap of 23 feet, 7 3/8 inches, becoming the first Mankato State Teachers College athlete to win a national championship. He was a four-time track letterwinner, served as track and field team captain in 1954, and was named Most Outstanding MSU Track Athlete in 1953 and 1954.

He married in 1951, and he and his wife had four children: Craig, Scott, Randy, and Krista. Frerichs moved to Rochester, Minnesota in 1958, where he opened Frerichs’ Hardware in the Miracle Mile. Over the course of his life, he owned and operated several successful small businesses. He also served in the U.S. Army for 14 years. In 1981, Frerichs was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he served for 16 years representing Rochester and surrounding communities. He also served on several boards, including the Mississippi River Parkway Commission and Accentra Credit Union. Don Frerichs died June 27, 2019.