Spring/Summer Update

Dear Friends of FMCS History Foundation,

Here is the late spring early summer 2023 update.  As of today June 9, 2023 the FMCS Director nomination continues to be held up in the Senate.  The FMCS has not had a Senate confirmed Director since January of 2021.

Friends Board of Directors want to know if any of our readers and former FMCS Commissioners would like to see an in person event in the future.  Locations for the reunion could be Arizona or any other suggested retiree friendly location.  We would love to know if any of you would be interested in such an event.  Please respond to this email with your thoughts.

If you have been on the website lately you may have noticed that we are no longer soliciting donations.  Our bank account is sufficient for now to cover all the associated non-profit expenses.

On a sad note two former FMCS Commissioners have recently passed away, Chuck Gamble and Bill McFadden.  Below you will find Commissioner Gamble’s Obituary and an article in the Baltimore Sun Newspaper highlighting the life of Commissioner McFadden.

Charles Clyde Gamble  Commissioner # 922  

December 12, 1946 – December 13, 2022

Obituary

Charles Clyde Gamble, 76, formerly of Williamsport and a resident of Loyalsock Twp. since 2016, passed away at home on Dec. 13, 2022, while surrounded by family.

Charles was born in Williamsport on Dec. 12, 1946, a son of the late Charles H. and Mildred (English) Gamble.

He was a graduate of the former St. Joseph High School and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree attending; Bloomsburg University, Antioch University and Pennsylvania College of Technology. He worked at Bethlehem Steel for almost 20 years serving as shop steward and president of the union, after leaving Bethlehem Steel he became a federal mediator for 18 years.

Charles was a long-time member of the YMCA. A member for 65 years, it was a big part of his life. Charles felt it important to be active in the community and went out of his way to help others and give to many charities. He was a long-time member of AA and was a sponsor to many in the community.

He was an avid Philadelphia sports fan; he was a huge fan of both the Eagles and the Phillies.

He is survived by his daughter Kelly Gamble-Maggs (Jason) of Loyalsock Twp.; step children, Dan Smith of Tenn., Joy Smith of Philadelphia; step daughter-in-law, Tammy Smith (Red Lion); grandchildren, Christian Maggs, with whom he lived, L.J. Robinson III, Allison Smith Holmes, Mickayla Smith, Marena Smith; great grandchildren, Nora Holmes; siblings, Patricia Wolpert of Dayton, Ohio, Denice Caswell of Fredericksburg, Virginia; four nieces and two nephews & several great-nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, a step-son, Jon Smith, preceded him in death.

A celebration of Charles’ life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of his mother Mildred Gamble may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Crouse Funeral Home & Cremation Services, please visit Charles memorial page at www.crousefuneralhome.com to share a memory or sign a register.

William McFadden Commissioner # 1001 Obituary  

Baltimore Sun Article

William P. ‘Bill’ McFadden Jr.

Federal mediator and president of the Washington Duke Ellington Society

By Frederick N. Rasmussen

William P. “Bill” McFadden Jr., a federal mediator and president of the Washington Duke Ellington Society, died of a heart attack May 16 at his Annapolis home. He was 69.

“Bill was a very good communicator, had a great sense of humor, and was very smart when it came to labor relations and collective bargaining, and he was always fun to hang out with,” said Jimmy Kenny, who retired from the New York office of the Commission of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services and was trained by Mr. McFadden. The agency’s mission is to “preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation,” according to its website.

“To become a federal mediator is the cherry on the cake,” said Mr. Kenny, who now works for the New Jersey State Board of Mediation. “The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services is the premier agency in the United States, if not the world.”

William Paul McFadden Jr., son of William P. McFadden Sr., a union representative, and Dolores McFadden, a homemaker, was born in Philadelphia and raised in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

After graduating in 1971 from Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, he attended Temple University and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1976 in journalism and political science from the George Washington University.

Following college, Mr. McFadden moved to Manhattan for nearly a decade and held various roles in the nonprofit, professional and association world while immersing himself in the city’s jazz scene.

Born into a strong union family, from 1990 to 1996, Mr. McFadden was executive vice president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he oversaw six separate agreements involving the Steamfitters Local 420 and Plumbers Local 690.

In 1994, he was a trainer, on behalf of the Department of Labor, to Poland’s Solidarity, a labor movement.

In 1997, he was appointed a commissioner in the Baltimore field office of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services.

In his role as a commissioner, he mediated private, public and federal bargaining disputes until his retirement in 2014.

“During a trades mediation, someone asked Bill how he framed an issue, and he said, ‘What’s your problem?’ in that Philly voice of his,” Mr. Kenny recalled. “It was a classic example of how down-to-earth he was. When you’re doing negotiations with the trades, they’re never easy, and it takes a special type of person to do them like Bill.”

“He was a great communicator and an active listener,” his wife of 31 years, the former Kathy Hay, CEO of the Harford County Association of Realtors, said.

Mr. McFadden discovered jazz during his high school and college years, his wife said, and ultimately amassed a collection of more than 1,500 vinyl and CD recordings.

A particular interest of his was the music of Duke Ellington and his frequent collaborator, Billy Strayhorn. Mr. McFadden was president of the Washington Duke Ellington Society from 2011 to 2018, and had been editor of its publication, Ellingtonia. He was also a member of the New York Ellington Society and the International Ellington Society.

“When we were growing up and interested in jazz, Ellington was still alive and we saw him live,” said Art Luby, a member of the society and a close friend. “He was the premier jazz composer and had one of the great premier big bands.”

He said Mr. McFadden’s knowledge of Duke Ellington, who was born in Washington in 1899 and by the 1920s was a jazz sensation, had “depth.”

“Bill was an intelligent and sophisticated guy and very friendly. He shared his knowledge and never gave off the aura that he knew more than anyone else,” Mr. Luby said. “He understood the music and studied the times and circumstances of it.”

Mr. McFadden gave several lectures on Mr. Strayhorn’s life, who was also a noted jazz pianist.

An inveterate reader of books and newspapers, Mr. McFadden followed politics and was a concerned environmentalist. He enjoyed horror and foreign films in addition to being an ardent student of classic magic with a room in his home filled with various tricks, his wife said.

Mr. McFadden, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, was sober for the past 33 years.

“Bill never kept it a secret about his drinking and used to say, ‘I’ve spilled more drinks than you ever drank,’ ” Ms. McFadden said.

His philanthropic interests included the Annapolis Immigration Justice Network and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

A celebration-of-life gathering built around the jazz he so loved, according to his wife, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 15 at the United Church of Christ of Annapolis at 6 Carvel Circle in Edgewater.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his mother, Dolores McFadden of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania; a brother, Robert McFadden of Alexandria, Virginia; and several nieces and nephews.

Take care and please feel free to pass this email along to others who may be interested in Friends.

Respectfully,

Richard Giacolone

Executive Director

Friends of FMCS History Foundation

19th Director FMCS