Fred Gropper was a man for all seasons, including the snowy one

 Sunday’s Polar Bear 8-Miler in the middle of a gentle snowstorm at Tyler State Park would have been right up Fred Gropper’s alley.
The Yardley runner always enjoyed a challenge, whether it was an all-out effort at the Boston Marathon or belting out a full-throated renditon of the Star Spangled Banner before a big race.
Sadly, Gropper passed away last month and it’s safe to say he will be missed by runners/friends throughout Bucks County and beyond.
Gropper, a Long Island native, was a past president of the Bucks County Roadrunners Club and his selection to that position was due, in part, to his popularity and his penchant for getting things done.
Current BCRR president Dr. Johnny King-Marino has fond memories of this unique individual.
“Fred’s responsible for me being president of the club,” King-Marino said in a telephone interview. “For better or worse, I love him for it.
“We always had a lot of chuckles together. Got along really well. Out of the blue, he gave me the President’s Award, which surprised me because I was only in the club for a couple years.”
The club traces its roots all the way back to 1978 when a group of hearty runners decided to take on the physically (and mentally) demanding hills of Tyler, both for the Winter Series and organized training runs.
Competitors such as Gropper are what keep the club alive and vibrant.
“I would call him a renaissance man,” King-Marino said. “He was a singer, an actor, a great runner. He loved running anything from a 5K to a marathon. He didn’t care. If it was a running event, he wanted to be there. Just a very interesting guy.”
People with somewhat “quiet” personalities are often viewed as deep thinkers and that might have been the case with Gropper. He had outstanding organizational skills.
“He used to keep track of compensation for artists based on the number of plays here and there,” King-Marino recalled. “He had a very analytical mind. Quiet, but when he spoke, it usually made a lot of sense.
“As much as he liked to joke around, he could be no nonsense. He loved the club and the Winter Series. Always had a good thing to say about everybody. Just a good man. Sad to see him go.”
Winter Series director John O’Brien remembers Gropper as a get-it-done kind of guy.
“He took care of everything,” O’Brien said. “When things were kind of dragging along, he kept everything going. He held the club together a lot on his own. Everything he did was about the Bucks County Roadrunners.”
One of Gropper’s passions was community theater.
“He was known in the theater community for his acting ability,” O’Brien said. “He was very direct with everything. That was kind of odd because he was quiet.
“But even when he sang, he would belt out the national anthem, do it very well and then go back to being quiet, mild-mannered Fred.”