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A Memorial service was held Saturday, June 17 to celebrate the life of Walter Herrmann. He was born May 2, 1930 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and died June 4, 2000 while under Hospice care in Albuquerque. He was the only child born to Gottlob Fredrich Herrmann, hotel proprietor and Gertrud Louise Herrmann (nee Ratzlaff). Herrmann received both his undergraduate (1953) and Ph.D. (1955) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Witwatersrand University in South Africa, and completed post-doctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He taught Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town for two years until 1957, when Dr. Herrmann was invited to return to MIT to work as a researcher in the Cold War effort. In 1964, Dr. Herrmann moved to Albuquerque to work at Sandia National Laboratory, attaining the position of Director of Engineering Science. During his career he published about 200 technical papers and presented his research at symposiums around the world. He was inducted into the US National Academy of Engineering in 1993, and retired that same year. He married Betty Lorraine Allard in 1955 with whom he raised two children, a daughter, Inga and son, Peter before divorcing in 1983. In 1988, Dr. Herrmann married Ednarae Bligh Gross, who preceded him in death in 1996. During their short life together Walter and Ednarae traveled extensively, and took up SCUBA diving. Dr. Herrmann was an accomplished skier, mountaineer, and cyclist, and he enjoyed river rafting and SCUBA diving. He volunteered for many years with mountain rescue in New Mexico and in his retirement was an active volunteer for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and served as a docent at archaeological sites in southern Colorado. He was a member of the Grey Wolves and the Prime Time Gang. Throughout his life, Dr. Herrmann was an avid traveler, and in his later years, he developed a passion for tall ships and sailing, and archaeology. Survivors include his children, Inga and Peter; step-sons, Allan and Jeffrey Gross, all of Albuquerque; a step-daughter, Janis Gross of Longmont, CO; grandchildren, Rishar, Mariah, and Joshua; and his former wife, Betty Lorraine Allard Herrmann of Albuquerque. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Walter Herrmann Memorial Fund at the Rio Grande Zoological Park, 903 10th SW, Albuquerque 87102, funds raised will benefit future construction of the African exhibit.
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