Eitel Frederick Proelss papers, 1951 -- 1984

Summary Information

Abstract

Eitel Frederick George Proelss (1906-1996), born in Germany, Union Theological Seminary class of 1953, Episcopal priest in the Diocese of New York, and senior chaplain of Riker's Island Prison in New York. The collection contains writings by Proelss and others in the form of note cards, jottings, clippings, and one annotated manuscript, used to help Proelss gain an understanding of criminality so as to better assist the incarcerated people whom he served.

At a Glance

Bib ID:
12176405 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Proelss, Eitel Frederick, 1906-1996
Repository:
Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Physical Description:
1 box (1 box; 0.5 linear feet)
Language(s):
English .
Access:

The collection is open for research.

The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains writings by Proelss and others in the form of note cards, jottings, clippings, and one annotated manuscript, used to help Proelss gain an understanding of criminality so as to better assist the incarcerated people whom he served.

  • Eitel Frederick Proelss papers, 1951 -- 1984

    This series contains writings by Proelss and others in the form of note cards, jottings, clippings, and one annotated manuscript, used to help Proelss gain an understanding of criminality so as to better assist the incarcerated people whom he served.

Burke Library record group:

Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series in original order.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, UTS1: Eitel Frederick Proelss papers, 1951-1984, series #, box #, and folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Proelss collection was donated in 2016 by Rev. Peter Elvin of St. John's Episcopal Church on behalf of the heirs of E. Frederick Proelss, Delphine Proelss Lowe and Sibylee Proelss Baughan.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

The Proelss papers were among a large group of unprocessed material that was organized in 2016-2017 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; materials were placed in new acid-free folders, acidic items were separated by interleaving with acid-free paper, and materials that were folded within the manuscript were removed and flattened before refoldering. The finding aid was created by Paul Paulson in 2016 and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.

Biographical / Historical

Reverend Dr. Eitel Frederick Proelss was born in Posen, Germany on May 27, 1906. Educated as a lawyer, he received his degree from the Friedrich Wilhem University in Breslau in 1933. While in Germany, he joined the WWII-era Confessing Church, whose best known member was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and which resisted the Nazi regime. Because of his views, Proelss was sentenced to hard labor by the Nazi regime. After the war, Proelss left Germany and attended Union Theological Seminary, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity in 1953. He was ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of New York in 1955. He became a member of the Episcopal Missionary Society in New York City, and was senior chaplain of Rikers Island during this period. As a clinical associate of Union Theological Seminary from 1951 to 1971, Proelss helped to develop academic programs in psychiatry and religion. Proelss's interests were centered on pastoral counseling. Proelss retired from Union Theological Seminary in 1971 and died on February 16, 1997.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Name
Proelss, Eitel Frederick, 1906-1996 -- : Archives CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Subject
Clergy CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Prison chaplains CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID