Frederic W. Baue

Rev. Frederic W. Baue, STS, Ph.D. ("Fritz" to his friends) was the grade-school fatso who played the tuba, and was voted Class Clown by the St. Charles (Missouri) High School class of 1964. His report cards contained C's and D's and said, "Freddy could do better if he tried." Nobody made him try or explained why he should.

After bumming around out West (including hopping a freight train), dropping in and out of college, the Army, the San Francisco coffeehouse scene and generally wasting his youth in excess and dissipation, Freddy actually began to knuckle down and try. In the process he joined Mensa, earned a Bach. of Music in classical guitar performance from Florida State Univ.; an M.Div. in theology from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; and a Ph.D. in English literature from the Univ. of Arizona (after being kicked out of the MFA Creative Writing Program).

With training and experience in music, theology, and literature, Baue writes essays, theological treatises, composes music, records [has 3 CDs available] plays guitar, fiddle, blues harp (and a few other instruments... but not the tuba), writes sad songs, funny songs, hymns for the church, sermons (of course), poetry and fiction. His first published novel, The Clubhouse, has just been released. It is the story of a young pastor who falls in love with the wrong woman and finds himself in big trouble. A follow-up story, The Last Game: A Baseball Novel, is complete and being prepared for publication.

God dragged him kicking and screaming into the pastoral ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, where he eventually learned to accept, then love, his calling. After serving congregations for 30 years, he retired to devote his time to loafing, daydreaming, pipe smoking, writing and music (for which see www.pergolapress.com , the "pergola" being the grape arbor in the back yard where he does his loafing and pipe smoking.

Fred and his wife Jean live in St. Louis, MO, and have 3 grown children.