Freys Support Saint John's University Arts, Professorship, Bible Project

Jim and Mary White Frey, directors of the Frey Foundation in Minneapolis, have pledged $2 million to Saint John's University, Collegeville, the university has announced. The gift will be used to establish an endowed professorship at Saint John's and the College of Saint Benedict, and to support initiatives associated with The Saint John's Bible and the Institute for the Study of Arts and Culture.

Jim Frey is a graduate of Saint John's University and Mary White Frey is a graduate of the College of Saint Benedict. Jim Frey has been a member of the Saint John's University board of regents since 2001, and also serves on the boards of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, The Saint Paul Foundation and Courage Center, and on the advisory boards of the Center for School Change and the Minneapolis Academy. In 1997, he became president of Wabash Management, Inc., the Frey family office. Mary White Frey currently serves on the boards of the PACER Center and the Walk-in Counseling Center.

In announcing the gift to the Saint John's board of regents, Jim Frey said, "Mary and I feel fortunate and blessed to make this gift to Saint John's and Saint Benedict's. We benefited greatly from our Benedictine education. Saint John's and Saint Benedict's are not just great schools, they are a community, and we learned a great deal academically and spiritually. The opportunity to make this gift during our lifetimes was quite compelling, as is the vision the two schools have about their future."

In 1999, Saint John's received a $500,000 challenge grant from the Eugene and Mary Frey Family Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation to launch The Saint John's Bible, an eight-year, multi-volume project commissioned by the university to create a Bible written and illustrated entirely by hand. It is believed to be the first project of its kind in 500 years.

"The Saint John's Bible is in keeping with the Abbey and university's mission of preserving the written word in the Benedictine tradition and exercising hospitality for the visitors who will come to see it," said Jim Frey. "It is also important because it will increase the visibility of the university and help create a legacy for Saint John's. Additionally, it will be an important revenue source for many years to come."

"Jim and Mary are kind-hearted people and their generosity is boundless," observed Br. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, president of St. John's. "Without the Frey family and the White family, we would not have had the opportunity to embark on the remarkable journey known as The Saint John's Bible. This latest gift will help us make the best of our revenue opportunities for this project as well as extend our commitment to arts and culture for generations to come. Moreover, it will improve the quality and distinction of our undergraduate curriculum through the creation of the Frey Professorship."

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