ASHRAE Journal - October 2023 - 80

REFRIGERATION APPLICATIONS
COLUMN
Andy Pearson
Shoulders of Giants
BY ANDY PEARSON, PH.D., C.ENG., FELLOW ASHRAE
I was saddened to hear of the death of an old friend and mentor, the Australian
refrigeration pioneer Klaas Visser, in early August of this year. I first met Klaas in
1995 at the International Congress of Refrigeration in The Netherlands (the land
of his birth), and I enjoyed hearing him speak on a wide range of topics all over the
world thereafter. He was always quick to acknowledge those who had mentored and
influenced him in his early career, particularly Professor Gustav Lorentzen, who,
Klaas said, always challenged him to think of other ways to look at things.
The news of Klaas's death got me reminiscing about
other people no longer with us who had provided
me with support and encouragement
throughout my career. Fred Herl,
founder and owner of the MG Herl Valve
Company in Germany, was incredibly
generous with his time and resources
and helped to establish the Carbon
Dioxide Interest Group as a means of
accelerating the use of CO2 in industrial
refrigeration systems. Another friend
who was exceptionally generous in
passing on his experience was Anders
Lindborg, formerly of Frigoscandia,
who was recognized throughout the
world as the authority on ammonia
safety and who did so much to facilitate
the reintroduction of ammonia to European businesses
in the 1980s and 1990s. In the United States those I
observed in a similar role included Milt Garland of
Frick and George Briley, the previous curator of these
column inches.
These mentor figures share a common characteristic
of going out of their way to help younger engineers in
their development, despite working in industry where
you might expect more secrecy and competitiveness. It
seems easier for an academic, whether as a teacher or
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ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.org O CTO B ER 2023
Klaas Visser, 1939 - 2023
a researcher, to provide a positive influence for young
tyros because it is their job to interact with the student
body. Nevertheless, several stand out to
me because they reached beyond their
university to provide guidance to those
in industry, too. In this group I think
particularly of Jimmy Brown in Scotland
and Will Stoecker and Pega Hrnjak in the
United States, who gave generously of
their time, experience and knowledge, not
only to me but to many others who crossed
their paths. In Europe I think particularly
of Joachim Paul, Fritz Steimle and of
course Gustav Lorentzen who all had a
similar gift for coaching young colleagues.
When I heard that Klaas had died, I
commented to my wife how fortunate I
was to have met these " elder statesmen " when I was still
very young. " Be careful, " she said. " They were probably
the age you are now. " For all of you over the age of
60, especially those of you who work in industry, you
should take a careful inventory of those under the age
of 30 who connect with you. What are you doing to help
them progress, and how will they remember you when
you are gone?
Andy Pearson, Ph.D., C.Eng., is group managing director at Star Refrigeration in
Glasgow, UK.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AIRAH
http://www.ashrae.org
ASHRAE Journal - October 2023

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