Dedication to J. William Frost

Abstract

Dedication to J. William Frost In 2002, J. William Frost retired from his position as Howard M. and Charles F. Jenkins Professor ofQuaker History and Research, and Director ofthe Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Since retirement does not match Jerry's style, he now holds the title of Senior Research Scholar. While we hope that this means that we can still count on his active participation as a colleague, the Board of the Friends Historical Association wants to recognize his outstanding contribution to the field by dedicating to him this issue ofQuaker History—an issue which emanated from a conference proposed by Jerry at an October 10, 2001 meeting ofthe Board. Jerry came to Quaker history (and Quakerism) indirectly. Raised an Indiana Baptist, he graduated from DePauw University in 1962 and attended Yale Divinity School for a year before deciding that he was more interested in intellectual and social history than theology. His graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin led to a seminal dissertation on the Quaker family in colonial America and a sojourn at Pendle Hill, as well as a 1968 Ph.D. Jerry's publications include five books, parts of two others, and innumerable articles and reviews. Especially interested in Quakerism in colonial America (and especially in the Middle Atlantic colonies), his subjects have included religious liberty, Quaker antislavery, William Penn, George Keith, John Woolman, and the history of the American Friends Service Committee. He also served as editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine ofHistory and Biography. His work routinely displays a prodigious command of the literature, synthesis ofthe insights ofintellectual history, social history and theology, and a terse prose style. Over the past fifteen years, his attention has increasingly been absorbed by peace studies, which he founded at Swarthmore. This area of his scholarship has culminated in the massive, two-volume work, A History of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist Perspectives on War and Peace, recently published by Mellen Press. Equally important has been Jerry's impact as a teacher. Both at Swarthmore and as an adviser to graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania, he has trained more than one generation of scholars in history and peace studies. His courses were always full and his students devoted—despite the fact that he was known as one ofthe toughest graders on campus. Regular attendees at Quaker history conferences will have many anecdotes about Jerry's wit on his feet. There was the 2000 Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists, when he lost nary a beat in his presentation at the Saturday night plenary session, despite a 45-minute interruption iiQuaker History by a tornado alert. Or the 2002 conference reported in this issue when he filled in for a delayed speaker with an impromptu twenty-minute talk on the myths of William Penn. And all will remember his penetrating questions to presenters. We all look forward to continued fruits of Jerry Frost's scholarship. Meanwhile, we thank him for all he has done for Friends Historical Association and our common passion for Quaker history. Mary Ellen Chijioke ...