Eventually, this story will incorporate a golf angle, tangential that it might be. But to start, it is a story that begins with a commodity that is priceless and much-needed in our lives.

It begins with inspiration.

It is the story a young man who against long odds dreamed big. The dreams, mind you, were not centered around athletic glory that would make him rich and famous; no, he dreamed big because a childhood friend died of an insidious cancer on his brain.

Thus did Stephen Frederico challenge himself in a way few of us would have imagined. “I wanted to become a doctor, a brain surgeon, to help people like him,” said Frederico, who ditched any thoughts of being a baseball player and never entertained dreams of hitting a golf ball or throwing a football.

No, sir. He’s way, way cooler than kids who harbor such dreams. Stephen Frederico, you see, is embarked upon a journey that will potentially help his fellow man and the stops along the way have been impressive. The College of Charleston (’19) to get a degree in biology, then studies in neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, programs at Duke, Johns Hopkins, the National Institute of Health, and enrollment in the Pitt Medical School from where he’ll graduate in 2027.

Currently, Stephen Frederico is pursuing a Master of Medical Science (Class of ’25) in clinical investigation at Harvard, working in a pediatric oncology program and studying about very aggressive brain tumors.

It’s an educational trail and a motivational purpose that deserve massive respect. Especially when you hear the backdrop to Stephen Frederico’s story. “I was a horrible student, a C student (at best), and weighed 310 pounds,” he said. “No one believed in me, but me.”

The inspiration to lose weight and turn his life around is rooted in the love he has always had for his father. A rifleman with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Corporal Stephen D. Frederico was part of a multi-national peace-keeping assignment to Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. Horrifically, on Oct. 23 of that year, terrorists detonated bombs that killed 241 U.S. military personnel, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers. Another bomb killed 58 French paratroopers.

“My dad survived and he’s still alive,” said Stephen. “But he spent days (after the explosion) digging out people he knew, digging out friends. He’s a hardened Marine, but PTSD is real and so is survivor’s guilt.”

When Corporal Frederico’s son, also Stephen, was born in 1986, the family lived outside of Rochester, N.Y. The move to the Hilton Head Island, S.C. area came when young Stephen was about 13 but what was never part of the picture were the resources for college.

To pay for his undergrad years at the College of Charleston, Frederico said he worked four jobs, “maybe 70-to-80 hours a week, and a lot of times I couldn’t pay the rent.”

Here is where we arrive at a horrible reality, that our country could do a far better job of treating its military veterans. Stephen Frederico witnessed that first hand. His father, who put his life on the line for his country, was a hero and an inspiration. “He is the one who would always tell me, ‘Never say you can’t, never quit,’ ” said Stephen.

But financial means for college and his continuing education just weren’t there. Until, that is, Stephen Frederico’s mother called her son and asked if he knew about a charitable program called Folds of Honor.

Which is where we introduce the golf element because Folds of Honor is the brainchild of Lt. Col. Dan Rooney who beyond being an F-16 fighter pilot with three combat tours just so happens to be a Class A golf professional with deep ties to the PGA of America, USGA, PGA Tour, and LPGA. The story behind Lt. Col. Rooney’s dream for Folds of Honor is more extensively told on this link to a 2022 “Power Fades” – https://www.powerfades.com/archives/2022-09-14 – but here is a summation:

Founded in 2007 with a singular mission – to provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members – Folds of Honor has awarded more than 52,000 scholarships and approximately $240m in that time.

At work doing work research on aggressive brain tumors, Stephen Frederico is following his dream.

It is no secret that golf is fertile ground for fund-raising initiatives. Golfers simply get it. They give. And then they give some more. With golf, Lt. Col. Rooney and Folds of Honor have done beautiful things. Golf courses in Lt. Col. Rooney’s native Oklahoma (The Patriot GC) and in Grand Haven, Mich. (American Dunes) are brilliant destination points. Using friendships with Gary Woodland and Rickie Fowler to bring in even more pros, an annual Patriot Day Tournament is a huge hit and nationwide there are Patriot Golf Days throughout the month of May. Folds of Honor Friday at PGA Tour tournaments is the newest vehicle to help heighten this five-star charity’s profile even higher.

But as a shining testament to the power of the man behind Folds of Honor and the scholarships which prove dreams do come true, we move away from golf. Not that Stephen Frederico isn’t a golfer; occasionally he does it for fun. However, his passion is to become a doctor who helps fight brain tumors and Folds of Honor is there to assist.

“My dad gave up his dream of becoming a physician, something he wanted to do since he was a little boy, to serve his country, then help raise me,” said Stephen Frederico.

“I really connected with Dan (Rooney) when in a conversation he told me what ‘Visor Down’ means. He said there would be so many distractions in your life, but when a pilot puts his visor down, that signals that it’s time to block out everything and focus on the job.

“He and I relate in that way. When I was working four jobs to go to college – at Brooks Brothers, at a hospital, at a bar, in a research lab – I knew I just had to find a way because I had fallen in love with the work.”

Thanks to his mother’s discovery, Stephen Frederico pursued the Folds of Honor opportunity and as fate would have it, he’s a two-time FOH higher education scholarship recipient. What’s more, he’s often been asked to speak in public and on several occasions Frederico has appeared with Lt. Col Rooney at public events.

“(Folds of Honor) has made it entirely possible for me to go to school and not have to worry about the financial stress of not being able to afford my rent for the month or not being able to afford my books.

“Because of all that, I can focus all my efforts on being able to find how I want to contribute to this world,” he said of his goal of being a brain surgeon.

Stephen’s childhood friend did not survive the brain cancer. His father nearly didn’t survive the unforgettable terrorist attack in Beirut. But Stephen is determined to remember those sacrifices forever and get into position to help people.

Admirable stuff.

1 – We are always off target with this

The Olympic golf will take place outside of Paris, at Le Golf National, which has two courses. The one to be used for Olympians is The Albatros. But being hokey Americans we’ll probably call it the Double-Eagle.

2 – Pure golf

Should you peer toward the first tee and see a golfer take four golf balls in hand and toss them over his or her shoulder to determine teams for a match, then you know you’re at a club blanketed in nobility.

3 – Home folks are disgusted

The Majesticks finishing dead last, a whopping 25 shots out of first in a LIV tournament in London – with three Englishmen in the lineup (Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sam Horsfield), no less – is an utter embarrassment.

4 – As a reminder

Bird houses should be part of every golf course.

5 – Just trying to get better

Minding my own business, just swinging my golf club in the garage, I was asked, “What are you doing?” My answer was quick and spot on. “I’m working on my traj,” I said. You better believe that left her speechless.

6 – I’m betting no one wins

The fiercest competitive event in Paris the next two weeks involves tourists. Going a week without getting pick-pocketed or scammed by a gypsy should certainly be recognized with a medal.

7 – So that’s what it’s used for

When my golf glove fell down into my bag, wisely I reached for the alignment stick to pull it back out. It was such an awesome feeling to finally figure out what that training tool was intended for.

8 – First things first

The shopping list has to be cut in half during summer months. With golf clubs, a push cart, a few dozen balls, a shag bag, rain clothes, a variety of hats, and four pair of golf shoes, there just isn’t enough room in my car trunk.

9 – If only I knew . . .

When finally the sweet spot is found, I like to hold the pose position just to whisper to myself, “I wonder what series of unplanned movements produced that?”