Colonel Fred William ORTMANN, III

1945 - 2013  (68 years)

• Name	Fred William ORTMANN  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Prefix	Colonel
  Suffix	III
  Birth	1945	Tuomey Hospital, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina   [2]
  Gender	Male
  Education	he graduated from Edmunds High School in 1963, Sumter, South Carolina  [2]
  HIST	of Columbia, South Carolina Date Published: October 21, 2008 Sumterite recalls life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Keith Gedamke / The Item Fred Ortman III talks about working in the Nixon White House to a group at Covenant Place recently. By JOE PERRY Item Staff Writer jperry@theitem.com When tens of thousands of hippies who had massed in militant protest outside the White House in May 1971 were tear-gassed by police bent on their dispersal, Sumter native Fred W. Ortmann III showed up for work that morning at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., red-eyed and "crying like you would not believe," he recalled recently. Ortmann, 63, spoke at Covenant Place on Oct. 14 on what it was like working in the White House from 1969 to 1972, telling the crowd stories about President Richard Nixon from his viewpoint as one of 17 military social aides whose job duties would range from introducing dignitaries at formal functions to ensuring diplomat's children knew how to find the bathroom. One day in 1971, he said, "60 Minutes" came to the White House to film a day in the life of the president. A young Air Force aide waited on the red carpet in front of the East Room, prepared to announce the arrival of the president and the first lady as they descended the staircase. Gripping the microphone, the young man said, "The president of the United States of America and Mrs. Nixon." "And at that moment, he froze," Ortmann said to the quiet room. "Not another word would come from his mouth." Shortly thereafter, he recalled, there was the announcement: "His Excellency, the president of the council of justices of the Italian Republic." Unwittingly, he had changed the president of the council of ministers to the president of the council of justices and the Republic of Italy to the Italian Republic. "And I felt like every nerve in my body would shatter," he said. "You see, I was that young Air Force captain." Like many aides before him, committing a faux pas was part of the job, he said, and the next day, he "jumped back on the horse," and went back to work, this time with a 3x5 index card given to him by "a buddy." Phonetic spellings were key to aides who often had to pronounce foreign leaders, and after his mistake, a friend had fun with him, handing him a card that read: "Lay-dees and gin-til-min The Pres-ee-dent of the U-nite-d Stets and Mizz-uz Nick-son." Ortmann, who was born at Tuomey and graduated from Edmunds High School in 1963, spent 22 years in the Air Force, serving in the medical corps. "I was not the first person from Sumter to work in the White House," he said, as that honor belonged to Wedgefield native Angelica Singleton Van Buren — Martin Van Buren's daughter-in-law — whose portrait hangs in the Green Room of the White House. One of Ortmann's duties was to be a "whisper aide," in that he would whisper someone's name to the president as that person went down the receiving line during official functions. He would quietly and subtly walk up to the person and lean in, asking his or her name. He was often told 'the President knows me,' to which he would reply: 'Yes, but I don't,' which he said was a code to the commander-in-chief to gently persuade that person to say their name — squeezing their elbow also proved effective, he joked. Being in the nation's capital in the late '60s was "a very interesting time," he said, as the war in Vietnam caused massive protests, moon exploration and the drama of Apollo 13 unfolded, and Nixon visited China, turning a page in history. Nixon, he said, was "probably very much like what you thought he seemed," which was "ill at ease." His wife Pat, though, was "quite different," he said, and someone with whom he struck up a friendship. "She was the nicest, finest, most gracious first lady," he said, once watching her greet 1,000 women with poise and charm from beginning to end. Ortmann told a story about how the musical group The Fifth Dimension played at the White House, and some of his bachelor friends had managed to get the group to play an after-party at their house, to which Tricia Nixon was invited, and accepted the invitation. "We were dead meat with the Secret Service," the next day, and were upbraided for having the party, receiving letters of reprimand, he said with a chuckle. Contact Staff Writer Joe Perry at jperry@theitem.com or (803) 774-1272. Fred W. Ortmann III COLUMBIA — Retired Col. Fred William Ortmann III, 67, son of Fred W. Jr. and Elizabeth Chandler Ortmann of Sumter, died Feb. 8, 2013, in his home in Columbia, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sheryl Cudd Blenis Ortmann, retired partner of Nelson Mullins law firm; and two sons by a previous marriage, Fred William Ortmann IV and his wife, Palmar, of Greensboro, N.C., and Clayton Edward Ortmann and his wife, Nia, of Albuquerque, N.M. Col. Ortmann was the proud grandfather of five beautiful grandchildren, Rollins, Fred V, Isley, Colter and Quinn. He is also survived by a brother, Joseph Chandler Ortmann and his wife, Libby; and three nieces, Sallie, Anna and Catherine, all of Sumter. Col. Ortmann adored his family and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Col. Ortmann graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1967 with a bachelor of science in business administration. After graduation from USC, he entered the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps. While in the service, he earned a master’s degree in hospital administration from Baylor University. Col. Ortmann’s assignments in the Air Force included tours of duty in Cheyenne, Wy.; Thailand, during the Vietnam War; and two tours in Washington, D.C., first at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was selected to be a military social aide to the president of the United States, and subsequently in Washington for four years as deputy director of financial management in the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General’s office. He also served a tour of duty on staff at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. His last assignment was as administrator of Kirtland Air Force Hospital in Albuquerque. His achievements received praise from members of Congress and special recognition by the Department of Defense. Col. Ortmann was awarded the Legion of Merit and received a Bronze Star Medal before his retirement in 1989. After a distinguished career in the Air Force Medical Service Corps, Col. Ortmann was recruited by AmSurg, a Nashville, Tenn., public corporation, to be their vice president of center development. While at AmSurg, he was responsible for the development and initial operation of new ambulatory surgery centers. Col. Ortmann subsequently “retired” from AmSurg and returned to his native state of South Carolina, where he devoted his energy and talents to developing and managing ambulatory surgery centers for various entities, both hospital and physician groups, throughout the United States, as president and CEO of Ortmann Healthcare Consultants LLC, based in Columbia. Col. Ortmann was a member of many associations and organizations related to his former service in the Air Force Medical Service Corps and his lifelong career in healthcare administration, including the United States Air Force Medical Service Corps Association, the White House Military Aides Association, and the American College of Healthcare Executives Diplomate. Above all, Col. Ortmann enjoyed mentoring young people. He was a frequent guest lecturer at numerous state and local health care meetings and served as an adjunct faculty member for several programs in healthcare administration, including at the University of South Carolina School of Healthcare Administration. A memorial service with full military honors will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Church of the Holy Cross at Stateburg, 335 N. Kings Highway, Sumter, with Father Daniel Clarke Jr. officiating. A reception will follow at the Parish Hall for friends and family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Church of the Holy Cross, a National Historic Landmark, 335 N. Kings Highway, Sumter, SC 29154 or the American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com. Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and Crematory of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386. Posted in Obituaries on Tuesday, February 12, 2013  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  MILI	he is a retired Colonel- U. S. Air Force - he spent 22 years in the Air Force, serving in the medical corps After graduation from USC, he entered the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps. While in the service, he earned a master’s degree in hospital administration from Baylor University. Col. Ortmann’s assignments in the Air Force included tours of duty in Cheyenne, Wy.; Thailand, during the Vietnam War; and two tours in Washington, D.C., first at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was selected to be a military social aide to the president of the United States, and subsequently in Washington for four years as deputy director of financial management in the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General’s office. He also served a tour of duty on staff at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. His last assignment was as administrator of Kirtland Air Force Hospital in Albuquerque. His achievements received praise from members of Congress and special recognition by the Department of Defense. Col. Ortmann was awarded the Legion of Merit and received a Bronze Star Medal before his retirement in 1989.  [1, 2, 4]
  Occupation	he worked in the White House from 1969-1972  [2]
  _UID	B1D6B11A208340E09D4583F7F26C8470C34F
  Death	8 Feb 2013	at his home, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina
  Burial	14 Feb 2013	Church of the Holy Cross Graveyard, 335 N. Kings Highway, Stateburg, Sumter County, South Carolina   [4]
  	Elmore-Hill-McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, Sumter, South Carolina
  Person ID	I173700	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	12 Feb 2013

  
  

  Father	Fred William ORTMANN, Jr.,   b. 16 Feb 1917, Anderson, South Carolina d. 9 Feb 2006, at a local nursing center (Age 88 years)
  Mother	Sarah Elizabeth “Lib” “Miss Lib” CHANDLER,   b. 12 Feb 1921, Wedgefield, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 17 Oct 2009 (Age 88 years)
  Marriage	1942  [1, 3]
  _UID	FFC9D2A1FCFE4A0BBCE06917B62F02921F45
  _UID	FFC9D2A1FCFE4A0BBCE06917B62F02921F45
  Family ID	F118167	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Sheryl Cudd BLENIS
  _UID	7D453145923841E9B490AA096D141E561840
  _UID	7D453145923841E9B490AA096D141E561840
  Children	1. Dr. Fred William ORTMANN, IV   2. Clayton Edward ORTMANN
  Family ID	F118169	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S6483] Fred W. Ortmann Jr. [S11149] Sumterite recalls life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. - Life with Richard Nixon. [S13048] Sarah Ortmann. [S19164] Fred W. Ortmann III.