In memoriam: Dolores Warwick Frese, professor emeritus of English
Dolores Warwick Frese, professor emeritus of English at the University of Notre Dame, died Thursday (May 30) in South Bend. She was 88.
Valerie Sayers, a Notre Dame professor emeritus of English, said of her colleague: “A creative, meticulous medievalist as well as a gifted poet and fiction writer, Dolores Frese was a model woman of letters: She contained multitudes. She was also a beloved legend, especially among the women faculty she championed, and a generous mentor who gave unstintingly of her time, experience and wit.”
Born and raised in Baltimore, Frese earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. She and her husband, Jerry, entered the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1958, both receiving doctoral degrees in English.
Frese was among the first women appointed to the Notre Dame faculty, joining the Department of English in 1973. During her four decades at the University, she became regarded as a leading scholar of medieval English, with a focus on Chaucer. She was the author of two novels and published numerous short stories, volumes of poetry and scholarly articles. She also earned a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame.
Upon Frese’s retirement in 2014, Notre Dame’s English department, Medieval Institute and Center for Italian Studies hosted a program in celebration of her “long and distinguished career.”
Frese is survived by her husband of 65 years, Judge Jerome “Jerry” Frese, three sons and their spouses, a sister, brother, in-laws and numerous nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (June 5) at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive in South Bend, and a Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. Thursday (June 6) at Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Latest Faculty & Staff
- In memoriam: W. David Solomon, founding director of the Center for Ethics and CultureW. David Solomon, associate professor of philosophy emeritus and founding director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, died on February 26, 2025. He was 81.
- In memoriam: Larry Cunningham, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology EmeritusLarry Cunningham, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology Emeritus, died Feb. 20 in South Bend. He was 89.
- Dan Cook appointed University architect and vice president for facilities design and operationsThe University of Notre Dame has appointed Dan Cook as its new University architect and vice president for facilities design and operations. 1996 Notre Dame alumnus, Cook succeeds Doug Marsh, who served as the inaugural University architect and will continue as a key leader of the facilities design and operations team through May.
- Physicist Laura Fields granted a Presidential Early Career AwardLaura Fields, an associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Notre Dame, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her research studying the properties of fundamental particles called neutrinos.
- Three Notre Dame Faculty Recognized in 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence RankingsThree University of Notre Dame faculty members have been named to the 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. This prestigious annual list recognizes the 200 scholars whose academic work has most influenced educational practice and policy nationwide.
- Ahsan Kareem elected to the European Academy of Sciences and ArtsAhsan Kareem, the Robert M. Moran Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences (CEEES) at the University of Notre Dame, has been elected to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He will join the Academy’s division of Technical and Environmental Sciences.
