Fred Stokeld, 1963 – 2025

I never once met Fred Stokeld.  But I learned a lot from his reporting and even published in the journal he founded, “The Exempt Organization Tax Review.”  Here is sad news from Tax Notes:

Fred Stokeld, chief correspondent and editor in chief of Tax Analysts’ Exempt Organization Tax Review, has died. He was 62. Fred wrote thousands of stories in his 32 years at Tax Analysts, and he remained grateful for the opportunity to be a journalist the entire time. 

It wasn’t his first choice of careers. After graduating from American University, Fred started down a path toward the politics and policy world. After unhappy stints working at a White House communications office and for Congress, he found that Tax Analysts was a better fit for his kind and gentle nature.

Fred began as a proofreader, but was soon recruited to be a reporter, allowing him to apply his skills to help educate readers about possible changes to tax policy.  He took the job seriously and worked to build relationships with his sources in the exempt organizations world.  When Fred was named editor in chief of the monthly product in 2002, he wrote in his opening letter to subscribers: “I want EOTR to be a magazine you look forward to receiving and on which you can depend.”

He meant it. Fred didn’t leap to conclusions, or even crawl. He didn’t read between the lines; he stuck to the facts to make sure he wasn’t allowing himself to insert opinions or inaccuracies in his stories. Fred said he wasn’t registered to vote. As a journalist, he didn’t want anyone to be able to say he favored any political party. Fred also eschewed opportunities to tease the IRS for the especially antiquated technology used in the exempt organizations division, saying he wasn’t comfortable with that sort of writing.

Paul Streckfus, a former Tax Notes editor who went on to start his own exempt organizations journal, said he admired Fred’s approach, and he looked forward to the times they spent together talking and comparing notes at conferences.  “The one thing I held against him is that he wasn’t a gossip,” Streckfus said. “I wanted to hear some dirt, but he was such a kind guy. That just completely went against the grain with him. He would never talk about anybody in even the slightest negative way.”

That kindness endeared him to his Tax Notes colleagues as well. Several staffers got their first reporting experience helping Fred, and he was known for offering encouraging feedback on their early work. It also helped that when Fred said, “Thank you,” it was expressed with a deep sincerity that could pierce the armor of the most jaded journalists. For those who worked with him, that feeling will be missed.

“There are a couple thousand people in this country who pretty much live in EO tax, and of that group, of course, maybe 100 are very active. It’s a rather tight community,” Streckfus said. “Everybody knew him. He was well liked and well respected. And he was totally objective in his writing. He was a true journalist.” Fred is survived by his sister, Amanda Stokeld Moroney, and his mother, Laura.

The good really do die young.  

darryll jones