Dr. Frederick Franck dies at age 97

Renowned physician was founder of Pacem in Terris and world famous author and artist Warwick - It would become, as he said, “a sacred place that would speak to the sacred space at the core of the human heart.” On June 5, Dr. Frederick Franck, the founder of Warwick’s Pacem in Terris, a quiet man who was known throughout the world for his art and his writings, passed away at age 97. A native of the Netherlands, Frank had devoted his life to the cause of peace, harmony and helping mankind. That mission led him to French Equatorial Africa where from 1958 to 1961 he served as a dentist and oral surgeon with Dr. Albert Schweitzer, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and world famous medical doctor and missionary. At that time Franck was already an accomplished artist and writer. And in 1962, after he finished his work in Africa, Franck was invited to draw the sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome. Shortly before joining Dr. Schweitzer, he and his wife Claske, who were then living in New York City, traveled to Warwick for a winter hike. During their visit they spotted the ruins along Covered Bridge Road of what had once been McCann’s Hotel and Taproom. The property remained in their memories and years later, while Franck was still traveling back and forth to Dr. Schweitzer’s hospital in Africa, they learned that it was for sale and purchased it without hesitation. They named the property, “Pacem in Terris,” after an encyclical by Pope John XXIII, written shortly before his death, in which the Pope wrote, “God has imprinted on the human heart a law his conscience demands him to obey.” Franck dedicated “Pacem in Terris” to the three people he felt had most influenced his life: Pope John XXIII, Dr. Albert Schweitzer and Daisetz T. Suzuki, a Buddhist sage. And to this day, what he described as his “Little Oasis,” an old mill, used for musical performances, and gardens filled with his metal sculptures and other works of art, has attracted visitors from all over the world. Dr. Franck authored more than 30 books. His sculpture, drawings and paintings are in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Dr. Frederick Franck was laid to rest near his home. A memorial service is being planned.