For his family, the citizens of Lee County and the wounded soldiers he evacuated during the Vietnam War, Fred Bartleson was the right person at the right time.
“A man of unquestionable integrity” is how Bartleson’s one-time executive assistant, Mike Everett, describes the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, who’d been working as commercial fisherman when then-Governor Bob Graham tapped him to replace former Commissioner Ernie Averill. Averill had lost his seat following a corruption scandal.
Fred Durant Bartleson Jr., known to most as Bud, died at his Melbourne home last month. He was 90.
During his all-too-short commission tenure, Everett says, “Fred was a steadying influence during turbulent times. His roots ran deep in this community and he loved Lee County. He was no politician and never would have run for County Commissioner but, when he was asked (he) accepted the challenge as a call to duty. I never heard an unkind word or criticism spoken about Fred. He treate