Hans Wilhelm Frei Papers

These papers document in a thorough way the last two decades of Frei's professional career - his writings, lectures, courses taught at Yale, and university-related activities. Hundreds of letters and myriad legal-size yellow notepads combine to illustrate in vivid ways the Frei traits mentioned by colleagues at his memorial service: "intellectual powers of the highest order", "unparalleled generosity and subtlety of sensibility", "modesty", "candid honesty", "warm fairness", "academic parent", "a great teacher", "departmental and university citizen". One cannot read through these papers without sharing in some small way the "unutterable sense of loss" experienced by his colleagues and friends at the time of his death. (Phrases taken from the tributes offered by David Kelsey, George Lindbeck, Wayne Meeks, and Gene Outka at the memorial service for Frei, September 22, 1988. See Box 27, Folder 339)

The Correspondence of Series I dates from 1972 to 1988 and is primarily with colleagues, editors, publishers, students and former students. There is no family correspondence. Some letters relate to his activities as Master of Ezra Stiles college (1972-1980) but the majority deal with academic and professional matters. Frequent correspondents include: William Clebsch, George Hunsinger, Paul Meyer, Gordon Michalson, Jr., Paul Ramsey, Ronald Thiemann and Charles Wood. Substantive letters to Gary Comstock and William Placher include notable exposition of Frei's thought. There is relatively little correspondence with Yale colleagues.

Frei's extensive involvement in Yale University affairs is documented in Series II, Professional Activities / Projects / Committees, but it is clear that a substantial amount of decision making and discussion in the Yale sphere was done in personal or telephone conversation.

Documentation of Frei's Writings in Series III is quite complete. A bibliography of Frei's works in the first folder of the Series provides more complete bibliographical information than is available in the folder listings. Published and unpublished articles, lectures, reviews and papers are included in various formats - offprints, photocopies, handwritten and typescript. Early drafts of Frei's booklength publications are not included. Reflections written for weddings and memorial services, in the Sermons/addresses/prayers section of the Series provide insight into Frei's sensibility. Some of the writings have been transcribed and are available online: see http://divinity-adhoc.library.yale.edu/HansFreiTranscripts/

The Course-related Material of Series IV includes syllabi, collected articles, and exam questions, but is primarily comprised of notes and lectures written out on the yellow legal-size notepads for which Frei was renowned. The material in this Series, as in most of the others, dates only from the last two decades of Frei's life.

Series V, Collected Material, includes scholarly writings by others in both typescript and published formats. Some of the typescript papers sent to Frei by colleagues may have been published at a later time. Some of the writings in this Series are annotated extensively by Frei. The Series also includes a sampling of dissertation drafts and comprehensive exam questions for Frei's graduate students and a few student papers collected by Frei which were not written for his courses. Additional collected writings are to be found amidst the course-related materials of Series IV.

Series VI, Personal Items and Memorabilia, contains a small assortment of material documenting Frei's life and work. Various versions of his curriculum vitae are included, as well as his calendar/date books for the years 1959 to 1977. Also included in this Series are samples of the letters of recommendation for which Frei was renowned.