Frederic Keffer was born on May 23, 1919, in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana. He was the son of Robert A. Keffer and Placie Howard Keffer. He was the husband of Lore Maria Keffer. He served in the 6th Armored Division as a Captain during World War II.

On April 11, 1945, Frederic, serving as an officer with the U.S. Army’s 6th Armored Division, diverted from the main column near Hottelstedt after encountering fleeing prisoners and abandoned SS guards and led an armored scout car toward Buchenwald concentration camp. Accompanied by Technical Sergeant Herbert Gottshalk, Sergeant Harry Ward, and PFC James Hoyt, and guided by former inmates, the small detachment reached the camp’s northern fence, where the guards had already fled. Frederic and Gottshalk entered the camp through a breach in the barbed wire, encountered thousands of prisoners, contacted the camp’s underground leaders, and radioed for urgent medical aid and food. After distributing their supplies, the group rejoined the main force, having helped initiate the liberation of Buchenwald.

Following the war, he returned to civilian life, pursued an academic career in physics, and became a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, where he devoted himself to teaching, research, and international scholarly exchange. He died on December 6, 1992, and currently, we don't have details about his burial location.

Source of information: www.geni.com, http://swq.com/Keffer%20letter%2005may1975.htm