Gerald Freeny, First Black Tournament of Roses President, Dies at 66

Gerald Freeny. a longtime Tournament of Roses volunteer and the first African American president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, has died. An Altadena resident, he was 66.

The Tournament announced his death in a letter to members from Terry Madigan, president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, who called Freeny “a cherished member of our Tournament family.” The letter did not give a cause of death.

“Gerald will always hold a special place in the history and heart of the Tournament of Roses,” Madigan wrote.

Freeny was the Tournament’s 2019 president, leading the 2018-19 Tournament year and presiding over the 130th Rose Parade and the 105th Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2019. His selection marked a historic first for the organization.

The Tournament of Roses Board of Directors confirmed his presidency Jan. 19, 2018, placing him in charge of the 2019 Rose Parade presented by Honda and the Rose Bowl Game.

“In 2019, he became our first African American President, a milestone that was important to both the Tournament and the community he loved,” Madigan wrote.

A volunteer member of the association since 1988, Freeny gave more than 30 years of service to the Tournament and became a prominent figure in the Pasadena institution after decades of committee work and civic involvement.

Freeny chose “The Melody of Life” as the 2019 Rose Parade theme, describing music as “the universal language.”

“Music has the power to not only bring us together but take us back to memories and moments as nothing else can,” Freeny said in the Tournament’s 2018 theme announcement. “Rhythm, melody, harmony and color all come together to create the soundtrack that defines our lives.”

The theme celebrated music and how it brings people together through family, friendship, love and shared memories, Madigan wrote. “This theme fit Gerald well because he truly cared about people and the connections they share.”

“Anyone who knew Gerald knows that being President was only one part of his life,” Madigan wrote. “He was kind, gracious, and always tried to bring people together. He showed this same spirit while serving many organizations in Pasadena and nearby communities.”

When honored by many during his presidential year, Freeny “chose to focus on encouraging volunteerism, diversity and community support instead of himself,” Madigan wrote.

A Pasadena native, Freeny attended Pasadena Christian School and John Muir High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1983. Cal State LA later recognized him as a distinguished alumnus and noted his nearly three-decade career in law enforcement.

Freeny served as president of the San Gabriel chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and was involved with the Pasadena Police Foundation Board, the Pasadena Police Citizens Academy, the Pasadena Rose Bowl Aquatics Board, the University Club, the Pasadena YMCA Board, the Urban League Board of Governors, the United Way Fundraising Committee, Toastmasters and the Pasadena NAACP, according to the Tournament and Cal State LA.

He joined the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation’s advisory board in 2016 and served on its Museum Committee.

Freeny’s public life was shaped by serious illness and by his transplant advocacy. He received a liver transplant in 1993, then underwent a combined liver-and-kidney transplant at Cedars-Sinai in 2015.

The transplants allowed Freeny to continue his career and civic work and, eventually, to preside over the Rose Parade.

“They took care of me,” Freeny said of his care team in the Cedars-Sinai account. “I was in the hospital every other day. And they got me through the parade.”

In 2024, Freeny was selected to ride on Cedars-Sinai’s Donate Life float in the Rose Parade, representing transplant donors and recipients.

Freeny also spoke to young people at his former high school about gangs and drugs, Cedars-Sinai reported. He and his wife funded a college scholarship and kept in touch with its recipients.

He was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and the Gamma Zeta Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi, and was active in First Historic Lutheran Church, according to his Tournament biography.

Freeny is survived by his wife, Trina, and their daughter, Erica, the Tournament said.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to them and to everyone who loved Gerald,” Madigan wrote.

“Gerald loved the Tournament of Roses and we were fortunate to know him as a fellow member and friend,” the letter said.