Background
Frederick was born on August 11, 1944, in Marks, Mississippi, United States.
CEO chairman founder president
Frederick was born on August 11, 1944, in Marks, Mississippi, United States.
Fred attended elementary school at Presbyterian Day School and high school at Memphis University School. While attending Yale, he wrote a paper for an economics class, outlining overnight delivery service in a computer information age. Folklore suggests that he received a C for this paper, although in a later interview he claims that he told a reporter, "I don't know what grade, probably made my usual C", while other tales suggest that his professor told him that, in order for him to get a C, the idea had to be feasible. The paper became the idea of FedEx (for years, the sample package displayed in the company's print advertisements featured a return address at Yale). Smith became a member and eventually the President of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the secret society Skull and Bones.
Frederick Wallace Smith is the entrepreneur who wrote a school paper, received a C grade because the professor did not think the idea was feasible, and then, turned around and implemented his ideas, creating a global sensation, and making himself a billionaire in the process. That company was Federal Express, which to no-one's surprise, has made it to the World's Most Admired Companies list consecutively for years. While Smith is considered an extraordinary businessman, he is active in charitable events and causes, many of which benefit from the resources of FedEx. He quickly and ungrudging offers planes, employees, and other desperately-needed resources to countries whose peoples have been wracked by homelessness and hunger due to natural disasters. As a result of his precious gifts, he has been awarded different honors from various organizations.