FedEx Plans Celebration of Smith’s Life at Memphis Event

Ceremony will honor founder’s legacy on world stage and in hometown.

Eric Kulisch

Monday, July 14, 2025 at 01:53 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

During his career, Fred Smith was instrumental in securing major regulatory reforms for the air cargo and trucking industries. [Courtesy: FedEx]

Key Takeaways:

A public memorial for FedEx founder Fred Smith, who died on June 21, will be held on August 11 at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
Smith built FedEx from scratch in 1973, growing it into an $88 billion global logistics giant that set the standard for the modern parcel delivery industry.
The innovative hub-and-spoke express delivery concept for FedEx originated from a term paper Smith wrote at Yale University.
In honor of his legacy, the Memphis International Airport is being renamed after Fred Smith.

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FedEx will hold a public memorial on August 11 at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, to honor founder Fred Smith, who died June 21.

Smith built the company from scratch in 1973 into an iconic American brand with annual revenue last year of $88 billion, setting the standard for the modern parcel logistics industry. FedEx (NYSE: FDX) has the world’s largest cargo airline and is a barometer of global trade because its delivery network spans more than 220 countries and territories.