Edgar Lee Frost

Edgar Lee Frost was born in Hobart, OK, on May 5, 1939 to David Clarence Frost, Sr. and Luthera Alice (Mills) Frost. With the exception of one year in Norman, OK, he grew up in Hobart. He converted to Catholicism as a teenager and remained faithful the rest of this life.

He received a B.A. in Journalism from The University of Oklahoma in 1961, followed by 4 years in the U.S. Army. He was stationed one year in Monterey, CA where he studied Russian in an intensive course before being deployed to Germany for 3 years. He then studied German at the Goethe Institute before returning to OU to earn his M.A. in Russian in 1967. He spent 6 years at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, working on his Ph.D. in Russian Literature. It was there that he met the love of his life, Lena (Hamrick) Frost, a fellow Oklahoman. Being good friends for three years, they fell madly in love in the summer of 1971 and were married on January 24, 1972 in Ponca City, OK. He received his Ph.D. (1973) from UIUC.

He taught 27 years at the University of Alabama. Beyond the classroom, he became a good friend to many students who remained in touch with him to the present. While at UA, he received the Outstanding Commitment to Students Award in 1998 followed by the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award in 1999.

Retiring from UA in 2001, Ed and Lena moved to Norman where he taught at OU an additional 6 years. They were thrilled to be “back home” and spent many happy hours attending OU football and men’s and women’s basketball games, with season tickets to all. In 2009, they were recognized on the field of Owen Field for attending all home games in all three sports the previous year. To say he loved watching the Sooners is an understatement. He also published 3 books: Port Robertson: Behind the Scenes of Sooner Sports; That’s a Good Question! OU Football Trivia; Oklahoma vs. Alabama—A Football Rivalry and One Fan’s Obsession. A fourth book: Harold Keith, The Writing Man Who Also Ran is at the printers now. Ed received the Oklahoma Sports Historian of the Year Award from the Sports Museum in Guthrie in 2014. Travel to a few OU games away from campus and a trip to Ukraine to visit daughter Lydia in the Peace Corps were highlights of retirement years.

Ed had bulbar polio at age 15. He experienced a significant decline in health during the last three years, and was finally diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) a year ago. He accepted the diagnosis with grace and perseverance. Having had a dog companion for much of his life, Ed cherished the time spent with his puppy, Topsy, in his bed during his last months. He died on May 5, 2023, his 84th birthday.

In addition to his wife, Lena, Ed is survived by their two children: Jeremy Frost (Tina) and Lydia Wears (Steven) and three grandchildren: Hudson, Harley and Hooper Wears. Ed enjoyed nothing more than being with his family and being a late-in-life grandfather. He is predeceased by his parents, his brother and best friend, David Clarence Frost, Jr. and a sister who died shortly after birth.

The funeral will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. The family will receive friends at Primrose Funeral Service on Tuesday, May 16th, from 6:00-8:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible donation may be made to the Frost Family Scholarship Fund at the University of Oklahoma, which will be designated towards the study of Russian and Ukrainian languages. Contributions may be sent to: OU Foundation, PO Box 258856, Oklahoma City, OK 73125-8856. Please write The Frost Family Scholarship (Fund #43433) on the memo line. You may also give online at https://giving.oufoundation.org/, denoting The Frost Family Scholarship (Fund #43433) in the comment section.