Early Years

Frederick McDonald was a lifelong traveler, taking every opportunity to leave his hometown of Seattle in search of adventure. In 1933, during summer vacation from seminary school, he traveled to Europe and was particularly impressed by the progress made in Germany under Nazi rule since being defeated in World War I.

Adolf Hitler’s power was visibly evident in the large number of uniformed Hitler Youth and Brown Shirts parading through the streets. I found them exhilarating … and I bought a little swastika-marked triangular flag as a souvenir, putting it on the mantelpiece beside the Lily Madonna for the rest of my Seminary Course. Only two years later was I to change my mind to opposition to Nazism as its inherent demonism became clear.

–Fred McDonald