When Bishop Manogue students are asked who their favorite history teacher at Manogue is, many answer “Mr.Frensdorff” (Mr.F), a teacher of freshmen anthropology and AP US history. He is very passionate about history, and the influence of history in everyday life. He claims his passion for history started at a very young age, and was influenced heavily by his childhood. He was born and raised in Gardnerville, Nevada, and he went to Douglas High School. His upbringing was a bit different because he grew up on a family ranch, unlike many of his peers who were growing up in the cities, and suburbs, he believes this influenced his hobbies and interests. Reflecting on the influence of his roots, Mr.F muses, “Living in a small town like Gardnerville instilled in me a profound appreciation for the simplicities of life and the importance of community. It’s where I cultivated my love for exploration, and history.”
He figured out how to translate this passion into his career, and when asked about his thoughts on his day to day life he answered “ Life rips. It’s good. I wake up in the morning, I go to work, I do a job I love. I mean, how can you not love just waking up and being like, I just got to go talk to teenagers about Samurai and the Civil War? And then I go home like it’s the best.”
That is something that all students want to hear, that their teacher truly is passionate about what they do, it is something that is truly impressive. But something even more impressive is Mr. F’s role as a mentor, and a source of inspiration for his students. With a genuine passion for his subject matter and a true commitment to their success. “Mr. F doesn’t just teach us history,” remarks one student. “He helps us understand our world.”. But school, and scholastics isn’t the only way Mr.F has translated this passion into his everyday life.
Mr.F states “I genuinely do like historical research is a tough word to use because that implies like a scholastic and professional degree and whatnot. But I do a fair bit of historical learning and historical research because I love history and I love learning stuff. And as I get older, because I’m still there, you know, as I get older, I like trying to learn about why I was reading the story of why they are the way they are, because I want to know why.”
While his professional, and personal façade may paint him as the quintessential history buff, there’s more to him than meets the eye. “People often perceive me as just a ‘history guy,'” he chuckles, “but there’s a whole other side to me that remains hidden beneath the surface.” He enjoys time spent with his girlfriend and friends. Whether it’s engaging in spirited rounds of video games or watching classic movies, Mr.F finds fulfillment in the pursuit of both leisure and media. He also has a passion for being outside, he enjoys hunting and fishing which he credits to his childhood.
Even before his time as an educator, he was still very keen on bringing his passions into his career. He worked as a salesman at Scheels, an outdoor store that focused on hunting and fishing. He loved to be outside, so he found a career that applied to that in any way he could. He then took this passion based career mindset to teaching where he found his true passion, educating, and teaching history, something he has always been passionate about.
But there is one underlying message that consistently remains the same; amidst his interests and pursuits, one passion is clear; the strong belief in the transformative power of history. “History isn’t just a subject confined to the pages of textbooks,” he asserts with conviction. “It’s a mirror reflecting the essence of humanity, guiding us through the labyrinth of time and offering invaluable insights into our collective journey.” He believes “We’re in the world around us, and a lack of historical understanding of why things are the way they are is detrimental to the future. And largely the reason why we have a lot of problems just in the modern day.”, and he one with a passion says he “will even spend some of my free time learning and researching it because I genuinely, truly believe that history is the best way to use the best means of understanding in the world.”
Mr.F through his life, and upbringing found a lifelong love of history, and through this realized the importance of history in everyday life. As his students complete his class, many couldn’t agree more.
