Fred Offutt (1934-2020) was born in Indianapolis on April 21, 1934. After graduating from Shortridge High School (Indianapolis) in 1952, he attended Butler University as a student in the Jordan College of Music, majoring in theory and composition with piano as his primary instrument and string bass as a secondary. As an undergraduate he composed and arranged works for piano, small chamber ensembles, and instrumental/piano combinations. In his senior year he joined the string bass section of the Butler University Symphony Orchestra.

After graduating in 1956 with a B.M. degree, Fred served two years of active duty in the United States Army Caribbean Forces. After receiving an honorable discharge, he enrolled in Butler’s graduate school of music, but in 1960 transferred to the Indiana University School of Music. He submitted his master’s thesis on piano music for the left hand alone but did not complete the degree requirements.

From 1962 through 1973, he taught piano at St. Luke’s Catholic School in Indianapolis and was the organist and choir director for the church during the first few years. A summer was spent at the seminary in St. Meinrad, Indiana, taking classes in Gregorian chant. It was during this period that Fred wrote many children’s pieces and collections for piano, some of which were published and widely circulated at that time. He also started a new career in the international freight forwarding business when he began work with Indtrans as their night supervisor.

From 1974 to 1993 – first with Circle International as sales manager and then later with Intertrans (1983) as station manager - he made numerous trips to Australia, the Far East and Africa to secure new company business. He continued to write music as time permitted, and in 1994 he devoted the entire year to composition, completing over a dozen choral works with text plus various piano pieces. The next year his last business venture began as international sales manager for Activair, Ltd., a London-based forwarder. The trip consisted of business trips to the USA, to mainland Europe and the UK.

In 2002, Fred retired, although he continued to compose and arrange for various mediums including musical theatre, church, and concert hall, and served as one of several organists for the Church of the Saviour in Indianapolis. He passed away in October 2020.

Source: “Frederick Offutt Obituary (1934 - 2020) - Indianapolis, IN.” Legacy.com, October 23, 2020. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/indystar/name/frederick-offutt-obituary?id=8073327.