ASHRAE TC 5.2 fully funded the endowment to honor the late Mr. Herman Behls, who was a 50-Year Distinguished Service Award member of ASHRAE. He was a respected engineer in the ASHRAE Illinois Chapter, and a longtime contributor to TC 5.2. He led the effort to write the Duct Design Guide, and was instrumental in developing the Duct Fitting Database. Through this endowment, the TC desires to encourage undergraduate and graduate engineering students, as well as ASHRAE YEA members, to continue the legacy and enhance the profound impact of the Behls family on the engineering profession.
Herman Behls Obituary
Our dear friend and colleague Mr. Herman Behls passed away on July 12, 2017, after a brief illness. Prior to that he had entered hospice care, but at all times he was surrounded by a loving family and friends. Herman was the former Chair of ASHRAE TC 5.2, Duct Design, and served as the Research Subcommittee Chair for many years. Likewise, Herman was previously a member of the ASHRAE Standards and RAC Committees. The contributions Herman made to the ASHRAE community are almost too numerous to count, but there are several honors he received that deserve special mention. Herman became a member of the ASHRAE College of Fellows in 1995. Per their bylaws, this distinction is reserved for ASHRAE members who have attained distinction in the fields of heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, ventilation or the allied arts and sciences through invention, research, teaching, design, original work, or as an engineering executive on projects of unusual or important scope. Herman was also awarded the 2013-2014 Service to ASHRAE Research Award, in recognition of his many years of contributions to the ASHRAE research program. He was only the 12th recipient of this award since its inception. He was the author of numerous work statements, acted as PMS Chair for the projects, reviewed papers, made seminar presentations, and always inspired thoughtful inquiry. In 2016 Herman was further honored to receive the Distinguished 50-Year Member Award, which is granted to persons who have been a member of ASHRAE for 50 years and have performed outstanding service to the Society. Among his other accomplishments, Herman was a principal author of ASHRAE Standards 120, 126, and 130, and up to his passing was working with his colleagues to complete yet another standard for public review. Herman spent countless hours maintaining the ASHRAE Duct Fitting Database, and was always willing to serve as a resource for anyone who needed answers to their questions about the program. To the very end Herman was working every day to finish writing the Duct Design Guide, an endeavor which spanned many years, and has now been completed. Herman never stopped acquiring new knowledge from others, and was always willing to share his expertise with anyone who wanted to learn from a true teacher.