In memoriam: Don Fedock

Lifetime Member Don Fedock, better known as “Desert Don,” died Aug. 31, 2024, and left FFRF a generous bequest.

He was a resident of Ajo, Ariz., in the Sonoran Desert Don had a degree from Arizona State University and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Over 50 years ago, Don decided that he wanted to live a nontraditional lifestyle and moved to the desert of America’s Southwest.

Don exemplified a genuine respect for the land and this delicate environment.  He lived in harmony with the terra, vegetation and the animals.

Like many others, Don had seen the Southwest and other desert-like areas of American succumb to population growth and urban development. Don wanted to keep individual and urban development from endangering or destroying indigenous plants when land is cleared and to work within the topography of the land surrounding development. He wanted to see plants moved and utilized again.

The state of Arizona appreciated Don’s dedication, study and application. In 1999, then-Gov. Jane Dee Hull presented Donald Fedock an environmental achievement award. The award stems from Don’s study and application of being able to move indigenous plants with a high degree of success. He chose to share his methods at no cost to other landscapers. Fedock’s methods are being used throughout the Southwest today.