Alumnus, father of Parkland, Florida school shooting victim, speaks about gun violence
On Feb. 14, 2018, Fred Guttenberg, a 1988 Skidmore graduate, lost a loved one to gun violence. His daughter, 17-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, was among the 17 victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Guttenberg now spends his time advocating for public safety and urging elected officials to address gun violence in the United States.
鈥淲e, together, need to decide this issue matters,鈥� he told the students, faculty, staff and local community members who filled Skidmore鈥檚 Gannett Auditorium on Oct. 16.
As he makes his way to different engagements and into classrooms, 鈥渁 lot of young people ask a really simple question: What can we do?鈥� he said.
鈥淯se your voice and your power to vote,鈥� he tells them. 鈥淵ou have amazing voices. Use them.鈥�
Members of the Skidmore and broader communities filled Gannett Auditorium for the presentation by Fred Guttenberg '88.
Guttenberg engaged the audience by asking everyone to imagine losing someone they love to a sudden act of violence. He then recounted the last morning he saw Jaime, hurriedly rushing her and her brother out the door as they were running late for school.
鈥淚f you have people you love, don鈥檛 ever waste a second not telling them that. Because you just don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 coming next,鈥� he said.
And with that, he did what he has done every day since losing his daughter: He remembered her and paid tribute to her.
鈥淪he was the energy in every room she went into,鈥� Guttenberg recalled.
Fred Guttenberg's presentation included a video tribute to his late daughter, Jaime.
The day after the shooting, Guttenberg attended a vigil for Jaime and the other victims of the Parkland attack and was asked to speak. In that moment, he found his new purpose in life. He has since found 鈥渇aith in the amazing people鈥� he has met on his journey.
Guttenberg now pursues strategies to enhance public safety, enact gun safety measures and honor his daughter through Orange Ribbons for Jaime, a nonprofit organization dedicated to Jaime鈥檚 life. He has also been working to enact Jaime鈥檚 Law, which aims to extend background checks to ammunition purchases.
Prior to establishing Orange Ribbons for Jaime, Guttenberg was an executive at Johnson & Johnson, an entrepreneur and owner of 19 Dunkin鈥� Donuts franchises. He graduated from Skidmore College in 1988 with a degree in management and business.
Guttenberg concluded his presentation by talking about finding the strength and resilience to overcome the darkest moments in life, particularly addressing the students in the room.
鈥淚n life, moments happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat ultimately dictates how you go through life isn鈥檛 the moment, it鈥檚 how you react and how you respond. What I鈥檓 doing today, responding to what happened to my daughter, is hopefully something that you can look at and say, 鈥業f that guy can get up and do this, then I know I can do anything.鈥�
鈥淚 am looking to you to be this country鈥檚 future heroes and leaders.鈥�
