Freddie Gaddis was one of the top students all the way through school. He took 12 years of Speech, going on to win All State Superior in Oral Interpretation and Declamation. Through Jr. High he played on the Track Team, Piano, Organ, Chorus, F.B.L.A., Jr. Play, Sr. Play, Beta Club, Rambler Staff (yearbook), Who's Who, Boys' State and played Quarterback on the Forest BEARCATS team 4 years. His Sr. year he was chosen on the All Little Dixie Conference Team 1963. Forest clashed with rival Morton on the home, field. Freddie, playing quarterback, kicked a 21-yard field goal that won the 3 points 10 to 7. Forest had won the most important game. Eight years later, upon his death, the Forest High School Thanksgiving Football Game was named the Freddie Gaddis Memorial Game. He graduated from Forest High School 26 May 196U with Honors, at which time he received a $200 Scholarship and Certificate from the "Report To The Nation" Reader's Digest Foundation Award presented by. G. B. Beard (his old Scout Master) neighborhood Boy Scout Commissioner, who briefly discussed Freddie's accomplishments in Boy Scout work. Scoutin-g was the big thing in his life. Years later, when he had to report to Fort Bragg, N.C. for testing, he said nothing had helped to prepare him more for a well-rounded education than his Boy Scout Merit Badge training. He won 13 Gold Arrows along with his Webelos Badge in Cub Scouts, received his Eagle Badge just after his 13th birthday, the Bronze Palm, Order of the Arrow and God and Country Award from his Forest Baptist Church. He attended National Jamboree at Colorado Springs, Colo. and a couple of years later he and brother Mike went to llth World Jamboree at Marathon, Greece, 1-12 Aug 1963 later touring Europe on the way home. While there he won the Silver Laurel Leaf. Upon his return home he spoke to 17 clubs and organizations. At the largest men's club in Jackson, Miss. (Rotary, I think) he was given a standing ovation, the first of its kind the members said. These talks were in behalf of Scouting.
Freddie Gaddis attended Miss. State Univ. and met Dees Ferryman during his Freshman year, she was a Freshman at H.S.C.W. and was his one and only Sweetheart, on 2 June 1967 they were married. He obtained his Private Pilots' License, and on 24 Aug 1968 he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Business & Industry, where he had been on the Dean's List, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, Rush Chairman 1 year, member of Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity, Scabbard & Blade, R.O.T.C. (Lt. Col. 2nd Battalion), received Distinguished Military Graduate Award, along with Commission of 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His first tour of duty was at Ft. Devons, Mass, living in Ayer, where he was in Army Intelligence. Their only child, Memrie was born 17 Mar 1969 at the Ft. Devons Hospital. Several months later he left Dees and Memrie to live with Pop and Tweency during the year he was stationed in Sinop, Turkey, being promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He became good friends with the Chaplain, singing in the Church Choir, and upon finding out he was going to serve as guide on a Holy Land Tour, he wrote Dees to come to Sinop and go with him on the tour. Returning to the States, his Army Discharge came in Oct 1970, having served 2 years.
Now, he came home to go to work, where he was made President of Gaddis Packing Company, Inc. about 1st of Feb 1971. Both he and Dees were members of the Forest Baptist Church, he having formally joined Mar 1955 and she 17 Sep 1967, both active in the Choir, Sunday School, Training Union and Church. He was a member of Kiwanis Club, serving as Scout Master of his old Troup 63, had been appointed Chairman of the Industrial Development Committee of the Forest Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Miss. State Alumni Assn.
He was a deeply religious young man, only a few weeks before his death, telling some friends in Church that "he was ready whenever his Lord called him." Another comment was that "there was no place he felt closer to the Lord than when he was up flying." Brother Mike had bought an Aeronva of 1948 vintage, fully reworked to FFA specifications, so Freddie, Dees and Memrie flew to Starkville to see it. Freddie and Mike had only been up a few minutes when the plane went into a spin, crashing 8 miles south of Starkville, Miss. Freddie was killed and Mike seriously injured with a broken back.