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These obituaries for Robert W. Frase and Eleanor Stockwell Frase appeared in the Washington Post.

Robert W. Frase, 91, who as chief economist and vice president of the American Association of Publishers lobbied policymakers about such issues as lower postal rates for books and U.S. participation in international copyright agreements, died Nov. 3 at Goodwin House in Alexandria. He had prostate cancer.

After he retired from the association in 1972, Mr. Frase was chair of the National Commission of New Technology Uses, appointed by Congress to examine software copyright and other problems. He was executive director of the American National Standards Institute committee, responsible for standards in the fields of libraries and publishing.

In retirement, Mr. Frase helped develop legislation for Congress to promote the use of acid-free paper to help preserve scholarly publications from disintegration.

Mr. Frase was born in Chicago. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Wisconsin and received a master's degree in political economy from Harvard University.

In 1935, he began working in Washington as an intern at the Social Security Board. He went on to work for the Labor Department's Wage and Hour, the Agriculture Department's land use office, the War Relocation Authority and the Commerce Department, where he was social science analyst and special assistant for the office of program planning. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.

In 1946, he headed the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration team to Byelorussia. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in the late 1940s to study control of atomic energy.

Mr. Frase was a member of the management committee of the Cosmos Club, the planning committee of the McLean Citizens Association, the American Library Association and the board of the Virginia Center for the Book in Richmond.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Eleanor Stockwell Frase of Alexandria; three children, Mary Frase of Falls Church, Richard Frase of Minneapolis and Katharine Frase of Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; and seven grandsons.

Nov. 8, 2003, p. B7

Eleanor Jane Stockwell Frase, 88, who retired in 1988 as associate director of the research and statistics division of the Federal Reserve Board, died Jan. 19 of complications of pneumonia at Inova Alexandria Hospital.

Mrs. Frase, who lived in Alexandria, was a native of Lockport, N.Y., where she was valedictorian of her high school graduating class in 1932.

She began working at the Fed as a statistical clerk after graduating from Vassar College in 1936.

She worked her way up to officer rank in 1977 with support responsibilities for the Federal Open Market Committee. She edited the financial section of the Fed's internal briefing book and oversaw the board library and research articles from the 12 Federal Reserve banks.

She served as a representative on international financial committees, authored research articles on finance and served on the Cost of Living Council during the Nixon administration.

She was a member of the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean.

Her husband, Robert W. Frase, died in November after 64 years of marriage.

Survivors include two daughters, a son, a sister and seven grandsons.

Jan. 27, 2004, p. B6.

Copyright 2004 The Washington Post

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