Berks

Campus mourns death of Paul Frye

Penn State Berks lost one of its most well-liked faculty members Paul Frye, lecturer in communication arts and sciences, on Monday, Nov. 15, as the result of an automobile accident.

Frye became a full-time faculty member at Penn State Berks in 2005, and taught courses in the communication arts and sciences baccalaureate degree program. Previously, he worked as a part-time speech communication faculty member at both Berks and Lehigh Valley campuses since the 1990s.

“Paul Frye was a very caring man. He believed in the individuality of his students and his colleagues, and we will miss him,” commented Chancellor Susan Phillips Speece.

“His friendly and caring personality touched the lives of students, faculty and staff on a daily basis working inside and outside of the classroom,” added Belen Rodriguez-Mourelo, division head for humanities, arts, and social sciences and associate professor of Spanish.

His research focused on diversity education, and as part of his scholarly activities, he developed “Diversity Against Discrimination: A Game of Fact, Value, and Policy,” which he presented at the November 2007 National Communication Association Convention in Chicago.

In 1988, Frye was inducted into the Sufi Order International; he remained active in Sufi studies, including the Dances of Universal Peace, which he hosted at Penn State Berks several times a year. Frye was both a Vietnam era veteran (South Korea, 1971-72) and a former Peace Corp volunteer (Yemen Arab Republic, 1974-75).

He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication education from Michigan State University in 1970, a master’s degree in interpersonal communication and linguistics from Western Michigan University in 1973, and his doctorate in speech communication from the University of Denver in 1979.

Frye is survived by a son, David Frye, who is a Penn State Berks alumnus.
 

Paul Frye Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated October 17, 2019

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