Fred Schmidt

Fred Schmidt is a two-time Olympic and Pan American swimming medalist, winner of numerous NCAA titles, one-time world record holder in the 100m butterfly, and a former U.S. Navy SEAL Team Lieutenant who served as a leader of the NASA Apollo 14 and 15 recovery missions. Schmidt got his start in swimming at the Michigan Shores Club in Wilmette and was part of New Trier’s 1961 State Championship team that finished third behind college teams from Yale and Indiana at the AAU indoor championships. Schmidt’s long swimming career included four NCAA titles, seven NCAA All-American citations, numerous Big Ten titles, U.S. Indoor and Outdoor National butterfly championships, two Pan American medals (gold, silver), two Olympic medals (gold, bronze), and a Sullivan Award nomination. In August 1961, after high school graduation and less than one month before his freshman year at Indiana University, Schmidt claimed the world record in the 100m butterfly. After getting his B.A. in political science, Schmidt enrolled at Northwestern Law School and in 1968 became an associate with the firm of McDonald, Schmidt & Baker in Chicago. He also joined the Navy and served two active duty tours in the Western Pacific. During that time he also served as platoon officer, operations officer, and administrative officer and as the swim team leader and officer-in-charge for the NASA Apollo 14 and 15 recoveries. After completing active duty in 1973, he became a partner with the law firm of Harrison & Watson in San Diego. Following that, he became a minority shareholder and officer of Doerring & Associates, Inc., a real estate development and syndication firm. From 1985 through 2009 he concentrated on real estate investment/development in Pagosa Springs, a time when the region’s real estate market boomed. He also served as the Municipal Court Presiding Judge and Assistant Judge for nine years, working extensively with juvenile crime issues. In April 2009 he began various projects at the Truk Stop Hotel, the Truk Lagoon Dive Center, and the Chuuk Women’s Clinic in Chuuk, Micronesia. There, he has applied his legal and real estate expertise to redrafting legal documents and preparing business plans for charitable organizations and causes throughout the southern Philippines and Micronesia. He is a scuba instructor, serves as a distributor for Go Pro products, and continues to be involved in real estate development in Micronesia.