Herbert J. Freudenberger was a practitioner, a theoretician, an author, an educator, and an active participant in the governance of his professional organizations. In all of these capacities, he was able to make significant contributions to his profession and to the public in the understanding and treatment of substance abuse, burnout, and stress. A creative, intellectually gifted individual, Freudenberger’s sensitivity, strength, integrity, and social conscience enabled him to rise above potentially devastating life experiences and pursue a distinguished career in keeping with his wish to help alleviate the suffering of others.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, on November 26, 1926, the only child of middle-class German Jewish parents, Freudenberger enjoyed a carefree childhood. In 1933, Hitler came to power, and, within a few short years, Freudenberger’s idyllic world became one filled with fear, death, and the fight for survival. Freudenberger saw his synagogue burn, his home destroyed by the Nazis, his grandmother violently beaten and deafened, and his beloved grandfather die. He fled Germany when he was only 12 years old. With a false passport and his parents’ blessings, he began a solitary and dangerous journey to America via Zurich, Amsterdam, Paris, and, finally, New York. The young immigrant fended for himself until a cousin at last took him in....