Fredric Arthur Tolson was born in Washington, D.C. on November 25,1923 to the late Ernest and Janie Tolson, the younger of their two sons. He was educated in the Washington, D.C. public school system, and extended his education by taking courses at UCLA and at Montgomery and Prince George's Community Colleges in order to upgrade his skills.

At the age of 18, while still a student, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as one of the first volunteers when the Marine Corps decided to take black men. As a member of the 3rd/4th platoons, he was trained as a demolition specialist, then was attached to the 1st Marine Depot, containing the first group of black Marines to be shipped overseas to the Asia Pacific Theater in WWII.

An avid photographer, he recorded his experiences there, later contributing many valuable pictures of that era to the museum at Montford Point, now named Fort Johnson. He was stationed on Guadalcanal, then Russell Island, and was honorably discharged in December 1945. He was honored by the White House at several 50th Anniversary events in 1995. He joined the Montford Point Marine Association, Chapter 17, in Baltimore, MD and, as historian, photographed many special events for them, then compiled a large photograph album containing related information.

Following his return to civilian life, Fred was employed in many capacities, most notably in U.S. Post Offices in Los Angeles, CA, Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC, as well as in the US. Department of Commerce as a cartographer and reviewer. While there, he developed close friendships with some of his co-workers, which lasted through out his lifetime.

Fredric married Dorothea Tymus Tolson, and later began a second marriage with Julilia Kinzer Tolson. He was a devoted father to four children: Barbara Tolson-Butler, Berkeley Henderson, Edward Trowell, and Fredric Tolson, Jr. He was a "family man," loving even his extended family, and dedicated a great deal of time developing a family tree covering six generations. He recorded family events assiduously, then mounted the photographs in his album, recording related data meticulously. Most often, he would mount duplicate pictures of the event and present mini-albums to the people most involved in the ìhappeningî. People identified him with his camera, and were disappointed when he showed up without it.

A multi-faceted personality, Fred had many varied interests. He was a Civil War buff, and visited almost all of the major battle sites. He developed an extensive library about the war, and could discuss strategies with the docents at the sites. In his photo albums, he loved to draw maps, diagrams, charts and tables to illustrate events, utilizing his considerable drafting skills. His library and video tape collections were extensive, also reflecting his deep interest in the Old West.

He was an expert bid whist player, and with his well-developed sense of humor, often warned his opponents that they were "in serious trouble." Although he was the most "imaginative" speller you've ever met, he loved to do crossword puzzles, and was good at it, too! Fred took one course in carpentry; and proceeded to panel his basement, also designing and building clothes closets, storage chests, tables, a pantry, even a fold up ironing board and a trash basket.

Fred loved to travel. He visited almost all of the fifty states, the Caribbean Islands, and was in England twice. Naturally, he made and mounted a photographic record of what he saw there. He loved good music, and recorded his favorites according to their categories. The musical selections you are hearing here today were selected and taped by Fredric.

Following several months of declining health and the last few weeks of critical illness, Fredricís life ended on June 6, 1998, leaving to cherish his memory his loving wife, Julilia; his children, Barbara, Berkeley, Edward and Fredric, Jr.; his brother, Ferdinand W. Tolson; ten grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; his Marine "buddies," and many other relatives and friends.