This website is dedicated in loving memory of Bill. Please feel free to leave a tribute below or your favorite story or memory by visiting the Stories page. Learn more about Dr. Freudenburg by visiting the His Life page, Wikipedia, or reading below.
RECENT INFO ABOUT BILL AND HIS WORK:
• December, 2019: An updated biography of Bill Freudenburg, written by Professor Riley E. Dunlap of Oklahoma State University, was recently published in the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology.
• Januay, 2014: An impressive volume of articles dedicated to the legacy of William Freudenburg was published in the Journal of Research in Social Problems and Public Policy. Volume 21 is titled: William R. Freudenburg, A Life in Social Research (ISBN: 978-1-78190-734-4). One essay is titled: The Sociological Imagination Personified: Reflections on the LiFe, Scholarly Contributions, and Professional Accomplishments of William R. Freudenburg. by Riley E. Dunlap. Click here to access and review.
• May, 2013: A Tribute to William R. Freudenburg was published in Society & Natural Resources, An International Journal, Volume 26, Issue 6, 2013, edited by Tom Beckley and Troy Hall.
• September, 2012: Release of Bill's textbook titled "Humans in the Landscape: An introduction to Environmental Studies." Co-authroed by Kai N. Lee and Richard Howarth, this is the first textbook to fully synthesize all key aspects of environmental studies.
• An online video website featuring Dr. Freudenburg offers numerous videos about Bill, including:
• "Bill in His Own Words" (interview of Bill done in November, 2010)
• "The Legacy of Bill Freudenburg" (tributes from colleagues)
• Blowout in the Gulf talk (November, 2010 lecture by Bill on his latest book)
• 12 class lectures by Bill, part of his "Intro to Environmental Studies"
course (fall quarter, 2010)
Watching all videos for free at: http://vimeo.com/channels/186979
• April 2012: Journal of Environmental Studies and Science (JESS) released a special issue dedicated Bill's lifelong work: The Legacy of William R. Freudenburg (Volume 2, Number 1/March 2012).
• A tribute titled "William Freudenburg: An Intellectual and Professional Biography" by Riley Dunnlap and Debra Davidson was published in Volume 21, Issue 2 of the Rural Sociologist in June 2011 (download .pdf copy here).
• Read a transcript of an oral history interview done with Bill by Professor Dana Fisher. Offers a rich understanding of Bill's work and the evolution of environmental sociology in general. The paper was presented at the American Sociology Society's (ASA) 2011 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. http://www.envirosoc.org/freudenburg_history.pdf
• Professor Freudenburg's complete Curriculum Vitae (CV) is now available online and may be downloaded from UCSB's Environmental Studies Program webiste or by clicking here (.pdf).
• In May, 2011 Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker was selected for the inaugural William Freudenburg Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS). Read more about Dr. Tucker, AESS, and the Freudenburg Lifetime Achievement award at: http://aess.info/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=939971&module_id=97555
Tributes
Leave a tributeTime flies by, but memories persist, and I have so many good ones of you. Life is strange these days, as we are about to have an election that will have a major effect on the future of our democracy--something unimaginable a decade ago. You would be very concerned, as am I, and I really hope things go okay. Your scholarly work continues to receive considerable attention, and your positive legacy persists. Along with many others, I miss you a lot.
Riley
Another very difficult year has passed by, and I've had some personal struggles. Many times I have wished you were still here for selfish reasons, as you always extended a helpful hand and good advice when I was down. But of course, I wish you were still here for far more important reasons, as your scholarly insights would be so welcome these days and your good humor as well. Think of you often Bill, and like so many other miss you greatly. Riley
You missed a terrible year, one we would have neve expected when you left us. But scholarly work on environmental issues continues, and is enriched by your great body of scholarship.
Wow, this has been quite a year, full of problems like Covid-19 and the efforts of Trump and his GOP puppets to further undermine American democracy via extreme voter suppression measures. Tomorrow I hope our fellow citizens clean house, and save our country. You would have found a lot to think about and no doubt study in this situation. Miss you a lot.
Riley
Got some good news for you this year, my dear friend. I was invited to write a short piece about you and your scholarship for the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology by George Ritzer, and with the help of Duane Gill I have done so. It should be out fairly soon, and it's great recognition for you to be in there along with many giants of sociology. I'll send it along so it can be posted on this site when the volume comes out.
I continue to miss you a lot. The older I get the more I realize how incredibly valuable and meaningful our friendship was, and sure wish you where still here. But have no doubt, you scholarship lives on.
Riley
Another year has zoomed by. Environmental Sociology is going stronger than ever, and your work continues to be a key part of our field. You are missed, and fondly remembered by our colleagues--and certainly by me.
Riley
Another year has gone by, but things are going well for your legacy and for our beloved field of Environmental Sociology. Your "disproportionality" thesis is stimulating more and more strong research, confirming your initial findings, and may prove to be the most widely used of your numerous great ideas.
I met a bright young U.S. environmental sociologist at a little conference I co-organized in Sweden last week, one who is pretty much self-trained in our field. He remarked that "I keep finding more great work by Bill Freudenburg the more I delve into environmental sociology." I promised to send him you final vita, and I'm about to do that.
And you'll also be pleased to know that Env Soc is growing in stature and moving into the mainstream, thanks in part to the attention being given to climate change. More and more work is being published in "elite" journals, following the path that you paved.
So please know, my dear friend, that your insights continue to inspire other scholars, at an escalating pace, and thereby strengthen our field.
Miss you greatly,
Riley
Bill: Warm, spiritual blessings to you, my friend, as you continue your own journey, and heartfelt blessings to those you touched near and far… I miss your lively spirit in this world still, yet I know your spirit and heart live on within all of us you touched, including Mother Nature… With gratitude, love, and peace... Katey
I just got back from Japan where I spoke at the 5th International Symposium on Environmental Sociology in East Asia, and one of the papers presented by a Chinese scholar was based on your "double diversion" argument. So my dear friend, your work is not only alive and well (and getting lots of attention) here in the US, but is spreading internationally.
Also, the ASA Task Force volume, Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives, was finally published by Oxford and is an official ASA publication. I sure wish you were here to help me celebrate, but I appreciated your insights when we launched the Task Force.
I think of you often, and miss you greatly.
Riley
Jim
I think of you often, and miss you very much, as do so many of our colleagues. I've continued our tradition of organizing group dinners for ETS members at ASA meetings, and they're very successful--and a tribute to the warm and inviting atmosphere you played a key role in establishing within the Section.
With two journal symposia and the RSPPP volume dedicated to your work now in print, you can be assured that your ideas continue to get a great deal of attention.
Rest in peace my dear friend,
Riley
Bill was a really great guy! I remember he would always be so excited to go on the wagon rides on our farm. He would always bring us Mad Magazines and comic books. It was always such fun when you would come visit! Even though he was older than me, he was always really nice and had a great sense of humor. We will all miss him.
I feel privileged to have known Bill and wish I knew him even better. I will miss the talks we had over crops, weather, and the Cornhuskers. When it came to crop prices we would usually have an argument over who did the worse job of marketing. In the end, we would usually console each other and vow to do better next time. What a neat person he was, and to talk to!
My memories of Bill are from when we were in high school. He was very friendly and so very, very intelligent! He was also so musically talented that my husband Earl and I asked Bill to sing for our wedding. He did a fabulous job! After reading his obituary, I see what a full and wonderful life he had. I hope that there is someone to carry on his great legacy.
Bill certainly achieved much during his earthly life! I will always remember lifeguarding with him at Indian Trails, and he and Randy 'making music' out in our barn!
God bless you and your family
Safe passage <3
Leave a Tribute
Time flies by, but memories persist, and I have so many good ones of you. Life is strange these days, as we are about to have an election that will have a major effect on the future of our democracy--something unimaginable a decade ago. You would be very concerned, as am I, and I really hope things go okay. Your scholarly work continues to receive considerable attention, and your positive legacy persists. Along with many others, I miss you a lot.
Riley
Another very difficult year has passed by, and I've had some personal struggles. Many times I have wished you were still here for selfish reasons, as you always extended a helpful hand and good advice when I was down. But of course, I wish you were still here for far more important reasons, as your scholarly insights would be so welcome these days and your good humor as well. Think of you often Bill, and like so many other miss you greatly. Riley
Thank you
Sad news
Bill,
Sadly we lost your buddy Bob Gramling this year. Like you, he left us too early. What an incredible collaboration you two had, and many have benefitted from the work of "Freudling" and "Gramburg." Besides being superb scholars, you were wonderful human beings.
You are missed, and your work (including that with Bob) continues to inspire and be used by other scholars. I just cited two of your articles today!
You are always on my mind, and I miss you a great deal.
Riley
Happy Birthday
Dear Bill,
How I wish you were still here to celebrate your 62nd birthday. But please know that your memory is burning bright in lives of so many people, and your work is getting more attention than ever. We miss you.
Your dear friend,
Riley Dunlap