Embedded Files
This site is a digital archive of a sample of the life and times of my Dad, Fred G Traut.
The Box o' Sermons
This project began with the box o' sermons. The box o' sermons had long been rumored to exist, but did not resurface until July 2017. It contained a mix of handwritten sermons, church bulletins, magazines and papers from 1954 through 1991. I decided the best way to preserve my Dad's work was to digitize it and share. I also found a trove of material in a steamer trunk that my parents had since the late 1940's. The trunk contained a lot of my Dad's World War 2 memorabilia, records from his schooling at Elmhurst College and Union Theological Seminary and quite a few documents from his days as Association Minister at the Chicago Metropolitan Association.
Recommended
Sermon from Palm Sunday 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King.
The opposing view, Mayor Richard J Daley's official report on the convention.
A statement of conscience against neo-nazism, 1977.
Reflections on the Papal visit of John Paul II, 1979.
Knowing Fred Traut is like....
Memorandum in 1969 about The Tentmaker Ministry.
In this 1972 paper my Dad sets forth his reflections after twenty two years of ordained ministry.
In this 1983 CMA news article, my Dad reflects on his upcoming retirement and career at the CMA.
Letter from Glenn Loafmann to Dad regarding his upcoming retirement. I remember this guy, hilarious.
This is the earliest sermon in the archive. The pre-UCC, Evangelical and Reformed Dad.
Shoulder patch from the 63rd Infantry Division (Blood and Fire).
Stars and Stripes newspaper edition from VJ Day, August 15, 1945.
Here is a timeline of Fred G Traut's education and professional career.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 8, 1918.
Graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1936.
Worked as a draftsman in Baltimore 1936-1938.
Attended Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois 1939-1942.
Served in the U.S Army and the Army of Occupation in Europe 1942-1946.
Attended Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois 1946-1947.
Attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City 1947-1950.
Served as minister at St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church in Roanoke, Virginia 1950-1953.
Served as minister at Faith United Church of Christ in Matteson, Illinois 1953-1962.
Served as minister at Bethelem United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois 1962-1968.
Served as Association Minister for the Chicago Metropolitan Association from 1968-1983 in Chicago, Illinois.
Served as interim minister at Peace United Church of Christ in Bensenville, Illinois 1984-1985.
Served as interim minister at Ravenswood United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois 1987-1988.
Died in Chicago, Illinois on June 17, 1995
The collection contains over 100 sermons and over 200 other documents. The sermons are all either hand written or typed on a manual typewriter. There are less than twenty from the 1950's and 1960's, but many of those are significant because they pertain to important events in U.S. history. My Dad had two interim ministries after he retired in 1983, and there is a much more complete record from that time frame. I've created a page on the website for each phase of my Dad's career, and you can find the related documents there (in a grid and a list display). I also tried to include a few photographs from each time period. A complete listing of the documents can be found on the Index page.
I transcribed a few of my favorite sermons. While doing that I tried to research and document any of my Dad's references to scripture, poetry or other sources. I also put some "Recommended" links on the right side of every page.
So enjoy the Fred G Traut Archives. It's a biography, theology class and history lesson all in one.
Read.
Share.
I subtitled the site, Song for My Father, after one of my favorite Horace Silver jazz tunes. Go have a listen.
If anyone has Fred G Traut items you'd like to share, you can email me at
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