News

Former Cavalier Daily managing editor and cartoonist, local public defender passes away

Mariflo Stephens, renowned writer and wife of Frederick Heblich, passed away one day later


Fred and Mariflo were married for 38 years. Courtesy Isabel Marie Zermani

By Maryann Xue
November 10, 2021

Frederick Theodore Heblich Jr., former managing editor and cartoonist for The Cavalier Daily, has passed away, leaving behind a profound legacy that survives in both the pages of the newspaper and in the Charlottesville justice system.

Heblich lost his battle with leukemia Tuesday, Nov. 2 at the age of 72. His wife, Mariflo Sanders Stephens Heblich, an alumna of the University, passed away the next day from complications due to liver disease.

Fred graduated from the College in 1971 and the School of Law in 1982 before becoming a law professor, kickstarting a 40-year career in law that most recently included serving as the federal public defender for the Western District of Virginia. Mariflo received a masters in creative writing from the University and won the Thomas Griffiths short story prize before going on to teach writing.

During his time on The Cavalier Daily, Fred was a cartoonist and managing editor loved by many for his wit and humor. He was also a political and social activist, organizing events such as “The Blessing of the Cars,” a series of drive-in potlucks to raise money for the Charlottesville free medical clinic.


A poster advertising a potluck to raise money for the Charlottesville free clinic, featuring "Bishop Fred Heblich and the blessing of the cars."

Fred was part of the movement for The Cavalier Daily to become independent from the University during a time when members of the newspaper’s advisory board were affiliated with Farmington Country Club, which explicitly excluded Black members with a white-only policy.

Beginning in the 1970s when Fred was on staff, The Cavalier Daily used its platform to call attention to and challenge racist attitudes at the University. In 1975 — a few years after Fred graduated — students and faculty began to protest then-University president Frank Hereford’s Farmington membership, which ultimately led to his resignation from the club.

{snip}