Statement from President Blount on the passing of Freda Gardner

RICHMOND, VA (May 11, 2020) — The following statement was made by Union Presbyterian Seminary President Brian K. Blount on the death of Freda A. Gardner, the moderator of the 211th General Assembly (1999) and the first full-time female faculty member at Princeton Theological Seminary. Gardner died on Saturday, May 9. She was 91 years old.

Freda Gardner was a pioneer. When I met her in 1978, I was entering Princeton Theological Seminary as a first-level student. She had been teaching there, establishing herself as one of the preeminent professors on campus, since 1961. I learned later that semester that she was the first full-time female faculty member that Princeton Seminary had ever had. She broke barriers, to be sure. She blazed a path, no doubt. And she did it with a beguiling combination of gentle grace, affable humor, and persistent brilliance. Though I never had the opportunity to take a course with her, she made a point of getting to know me. I remember conversations with her in the cafeteria. In crowded hallways in the main classroom building. Crossing the street one day, when we talked about research possibilities linking New Testament study (my passion) with Christian education (her passion). One of my few regrets from my time in seminary is that I did not have the opportunity to do that project with her.

Though she retired the very year I returned to start my teaching career, Freda made a point to remain in touch. As Moderator of the 211th General Assembly, she invited me to preach at the Assembly in San Jose, California. Ever the mentor, she explained that she wanted me to have broader exposure to the larger church. Upon my call to Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education (now Union Presbyterian Seminary), Freda was one of the very first to wish me well and pledge any kind of support she could give. A graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, she retained a deep affection for the buildings, the ethos, and the people on both sides of Brook Road. When Union established a Christian education task force to study the future of Christian education at Union, Freda was one of the first names that came to mind. She served eagerly and with distinction. She remained a resource for and a friend to Union Presbyterian Seminary until the time when her health prevented such service.

In fact, the UPSem community recognized Freda’s continuing contributions to the seminary and its mission when, in 2013, at the annual Sprunt Lectures, we recognized Freda as our Distinguished Alum. At that event, we celebrated her M.R.E. from PSCE in 1957. We delighted in her Emerita status for her years of teaching at Princeton (1961-1992). We rejoiced that she was recognized as the educator of the year by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) in 1981. And we remembered with gratitude that the PC(USA) acknowledged her service with the Women of Faith award in 1994.

Freda was born on April 7, 1929, and grew up in the area of Albany, New York. When she was five, her family moved to Wynantskill, NY, where her father was an elementary school principal and her mother was a registered nurse. In 1951, she graduated from the State University of New York Teacher’s College at Plattsburgh with a BA in elementary education. She had been teaching sixth grade for four years when her minister suggested that she consider attending seminary. In 1957, she graduated from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education and became director of Christian education at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church in Plainfield, New Jersey. Four years later, she joined the faculty at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she served as director of Princeton’s school of Christian education. She retired in 1992 as the Thomas W. Synnott Professor of Christian Education, Emerita.

Freda was awarded a ThD degree, honoris causa, by Bloomfield College. She was a member of the Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton for 43 years. As church elder and Christian education scholar, she traveled extensively in the U.S. and internationally for the church. She was a frequent speaker, worship leader, and preacher for conferences and congregations across the church. Upon her return to Albany, she became a member of First Presbyterian Church in Albany. A memorial service will be held at First Albany at a date to be determined.

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Photos: Required attribution “Union Presbyterian Seminary”
Solo photo
Photo with Brian Blount

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Mike Frontiero
Director of Communications
Union Presbyterian Seminary
mfrontiero@upsem.edu