Frey Hall Dedicated and Renamed in the Honor of Eugene Frey and Mary Frost Frey
Greta Cunningham ‘23, Communications Intern
November 26, 2023
In 2013, Frey Hall was dedicated and renamed in the honor of Eugene Frey ’48 and Mary Frost Frey ’52, who passed away in 2021 after celebrating 66 years of marriage to Gene. Formerly known as the 1928 academic building, Frey Hall faces Hamline Avenue from the heart of Cretin-Derham Hall’s campus, hosting a variety of math, social studies, English, and religion classes.
“I have high hopes and expectations for the students who pass through Frey Hall0– that they will do well as so many of their earlier graduates have done, having received a fine, values-based education,” said Eugene Frey ’48.
Frey and his three older brothers, George Frey ’38, Richard Frey ’40, and Joseph Frey ’44, all attended Cretin High School. In 1934, Frey’s parents moved to be closer to Cretin’s then new campus on the corner of Hamline and Randolph to attend Cretin High School.
“My best memories from my time at Cretin are the friends that I made and the continuing relationships that I've had with a number of them,” said Frey.
After Cretin, Frey graduated from the University of Minnesota to work in sales management at Waldorf Corporation, then called Waldorf Paper Products, headquartered in Saint Paul. In 1985, Frey conducted a leveraged buyout of the company, and after serving as CEO and chairman for 12 years, sold it to industry competitors who he thought would be the best fit for his employees. Afterwards, the Frey family's primary focus became their philanthropic organization, the Frey Foundation, which has continued to grow as it engages each new generation of the family.
“My wife, Mary, had a biblical expression that she frequently used– to whom much is given, much is expected– which really means that when you're fortunate enough to have done well, you have an obligation to the community to return that in as many ways as you can,” said Frey. “That's become a driving force in my life and was in that of my dear wife.”
The Frey Foundation supports affordable housing, education, health and human services, and civic organizations. Today, the foundation’s president is Frey’s granddaughter in law, Flor Frey. Frey has done considerable work providing scholarships to his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, and the University of St. Thomas, where he served on the board for 30 years, in addition to generously supporting CDH.
“I hope that graduates will continue, as has been the case in the past, to support the CDH financially so this school can continue to provide a first class education to more and more people in the area,” said Frey.
Every CDH student takes classes in Frey Hall where they learn the same Catholic values and academic curiosity that has been central to the Freys’ mission. Their impact on campus is essential in developing the next generation of community servers and leaders.