John C. Frey

Dr. John C. Frey of Buck Grove, Iowa, died June 24, 2015, at Silveridge Assisted Living in Denison , Iowa. Born November 21, 1919, he was the son of the late George and Adelia Rose Frey of Buck Grove, Iowa.
Dr. Frey graduated from Denison High School, Denison, Iowa, in 1937. Later, he received B.S. and Ph. D. Degrees from the Iowa State University and an M.S. Degree from the University of Georgia. He served for over thirty-one years as Professor of Land Economics at The Pennsylvania State University. In 1963, he started The Institute for Land and Water Resources at the University, and served as its director for 19 years. In 1982, he retired from The Pennsylvania State University as Professor Emeritus and and Director Emeritus of his institute.
Before coming to The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Frey taught vocational agriculture in Iowa, was a graduate assistant in research at The University of Georgia, taught economics at The Iowa State University, and served as a cooperative agent with the Bureau of Agriculture Economics of the United States Department of Agriculture. During World War II, he served in the Air Force from September 1942 until February 1946.
Dr. Frey is the author of numerous articles for research and professional journals and has been a representative on many state, regional and national committee. In 1970, he conducted a study for the Office of Water Research and Technology of the United States Department of the Interior on the organization and management of water resource research institutes in Land Grant Universities.
He visited 38 of the Land Grant institutions in the United States in connection with this project and reported on this research during an exchange of information with the Japanese in Tokyo, Japan. He was awarded a commendation from the President of the United States for outstanding research and development work in the environmental field.
Dr. Frey married the former Sara Jane Harvey of Greenwood, South Carolina in 1945. Both retired to Monroe, North Carolina in 1982. In 2007, they moved to Whitefish, Montana, and in 2011, they returned to Denison, Iowa. Dr. Frey belonged to numerous civic organizations. Those in Monroe included the Monroe Rotary Club, the Library Foundations, the Union County Chamber of Commerce, the Union County Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Monroe Tree Board. He was appointed by the City of Monroe as an honorary lifetime member of the Community Appearance Commission. He held membership in the Central Methodist Church of Monroe.
John and Jane remained in Montana from 2007 to early in 2010. Medical dependencies after three years forced them to look for extended care, which prompted their move to assisted living and nursing home facilities in Denison, Iowa.
Surviving are John’s wife of 70 years, Jane; one daughter, Susan; one son, John Hilton; one sister, Viola and her husband, LaVerne. Preceding John in death were two sisters, Helen and Vera.