Providence, Rhode Island – The family and staff here at the Providence Cyclo-cross Festival presented by Interbike, would like to take this moment to talk about something that has nothing to do with actual cyclocross, the festival, its partners or sponsors. We want to express our deepest sympathies for a founding member of our team, Mr. Richard Fries. As many of you know Richard has been a guiding light within the entire cycling industry, and a much loved announcer at countless races. It was with great sadness that Richard’s sister lost her 27 year battle with cancer last week. In keeping with Dr. Fries’s lifetime dedication to children and education, the Providence CX family, will honor her memory by renaming our Sunday Kids races, The Dr. Kim Fries Kids Cross.
Dr. Fries’s memorial:
Dr. Mary Kim Fries, 54 UNH Professor, Award-winning Educator DOVER, N.H. (Sept. 12, 2011) – Dr. Mary Kim Fries, a Harvard-educated professor of education at the University of New Hampshire, died Monday after a 27-year battle with cancer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She was 54.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Franklin and Lorraine (Sondecker) Fries. After graduating from Plum Senior High, she attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania before transferring to the University of South Florida, where she earned both a bachelors degree and masters degree in education.
Her teaching career started in 1979 for the Pasco County Schools in Florida where she was named Teacher of the Year in 1982. In 1992 she started teaching within the Hillsborough County Schools in Florida. Dr. Fries also worked for the C.E. Mendez Foundation. While in Tampa she earned numerous awards and honors. In the 1990s she moved to the Boston area to attend Harvard University where she earned a Certificate of Advanced Studies in 1996. She earned a doctorate in education from Boston College in 2002. While at Boston College she received the 2001 Leadership Award and the Donald J. White “Excellence in Teaching” Award the same year.
She became a professor at the University of New Hampshire in 2002, gaining full tenure in 2009.
As a teacher of teachers, Dr. Fries did extensive lecturing at UNH and worked with students at the undergraduate and graduate level. She also oversaw the development of teachers in classrooms at Oyster River High School in Durham, N.H.;Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine; Winnacunnet High School in Portsmouth, N.H.; Spaulding High School in Rochester, N.H.; and Dover High School in Dover, N.H. Of all the schools in which she worked, however, Dr. Fries was particularly engaged with Deerfield Community School in Deerfield, N.H., where she supervised nearly 30 graduate level interns and worked closely with the staff and faculty.
Dr. Fries was also a highly regarded researcher. She served as president of the New England Educational Research Organization, and was a member of the Research Panel for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Dr. Fries served the American Educational Research Association in a variety of capacities, and reviewed submissions for their two journals, American Educational Research Journal and Educational Researcher. She also reviewed submissions for the Journal of Teacher Education and the Journal of Critical Inquiry into Curriculum and Instruction.
