Year Honored: 1983

Birth: 1909 - 2000

Born in: Wisconsin

Biography

Esther Schauer Frear was a prominent civic activist, mainly focusing her attention on citizens with disabilities. As the wife of U.S Senator Joseph Allen Frear, Jr., her impact could be felt in Washington D.C, as well as in Delaware.

Frear was the first woman elected to the Delaware Foundation for Retarded Children, Inc. in 1956. She also served as a sponsor and president of the Golden Opportunity Center, Inc. which provided training and employment to those with disabilities, was the fundraiser chair to build the All-Faith Chapel at the Stockley Center, and board member of the Delaware Special Olympics.

Her interests also expanded into the political and historical realm. Frear was the first woman elected to the Dover City Council in 1947. She was State Historian, President of the Women’s National Democratic Club, member of the American Newspaper Women’s Club, chair of Dover Days as a member of the Friends of Old Dover, a member of the renovation committee of the Friends of the John Dickinson Mansion, board member of Wesley College, Vice-President of the Ladies of the Senate, and a member of the Delaware State Federation of Women’s Clubs for over 50 years.

Frear was honored as Delaware Mother of the Year in 1980, also gaining recognition by the Delaware Chamber of Commerce in 1983. Former Governor J. Caleb Boggs said of her, “In the nation’s capital, Esther was active and prominent in many affairs which have brought credit upon Delaware as well as herself.”
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Sources and Additional Readings

Cape Gazette August 25 page 36. Cape Gazette Newspaper Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from http://cpg.stparchive.com/Archive/CPG/CPG08252000p036.php

Esther Viola Schauer Frear (1909-2000) - find a... Find a Grave. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5577716/esther-viola-frear

Stockley, Delaware: Discovering the history of the neighborhood. My Delaware Lawyer - Schuster Jachetti LLP. (2021, July 26). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.mydelawarelawyer.com/stockley-de-overview/