Francis Wolle was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on February 22,1889, to a large Moravian family. After doing his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, he was hired to teach English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he started in 1913. He received his M.A. from the University in 1916. In 1917 he enlisted in the Army to serve in WWI, where he was in the infantry and did intelligence work. Returning to the University, he became one of the Theatre founders. In 1923 he took a leave of absence to spend a year at Columbia taking classes towards his PhD. He continued to work on his PhD for the next several summers, researching his dissertation on Fitz-James O'Brien (work which was later published). He met his future wife, Muriel Sibell (another of the University Theatre founders), while working on set design. They married in 1945. Along with his work for the theater, for which he wrote and directed many plays, he coached the cross-country and track teams. He retired in June of 1957 and in 1960 became a deacon in the Episcopal Church. In April 1973 he was ordained as a priest. In 1977 Muriel passed away and Francis followed her a year and a half later.
From the guide to the Francis Wolle Papers, 1917-1947, 1917-1945, (University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries. Special Collections Dept.)
