RIP: Helmut J. Frank

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." - Gandhi

We are sad to report the death of a good friend and a founder of the Solar Institute, Professor Helmut J. Frank. With international stature in the field of energy economics, Helmut served our community, state and nation for many years as a trusted advisor in this field. His friends knew him as a man of uncommon integrity, peace and compassion. We honor his memory.

Obituary
On November 10, 2004, Tucson lost a kind and gentle man who profoundly influenced the lives of hundreds of people who knew him. Helmut Frank was born on June 6, 1922, in Rhens, Germany. In 1936, when he was 14, his family left Germany, and young Helmut lived with relatives in Luxembourg for three years. In 1939, he joined his family in New York and became a US citizen.

Helmut Frank is internationally recognized in the fields of energy economics and policy, regulated industries and industrial organization. He graduated from Columbia University, where he received his B.A., M.A. degrees and a Ph.D. in Economics. In 1961, he joined the faculty at the University of Arizona and retired as Professor of Economics in 1987.

He was a consultant on energy issues to numerous governmental agencies, institutions and foundations. Among them are the International Association for Energy Economics, National Economic Research Associates, the Electric Power Research Institute and the Petroleum Industry Research Foundation.

He was active in state and local energy conservation and was proud to be a member of the Arizona State Solar Energy Commission. The Commission was an important part of his life, where he made many friends and contributed significantly to the conceptual and developmental stages of Civano, the planned energy-efficient community in southeast Tucson.

He was the founding editor of The Energy Journal. He served honorably in the US Army during World War II.

A quiet, deeply spiritual man, he was a devoted and beloved leader in Beginning Experience, a grief counseling program for those who have lost a spouse through death or divorce. For the past 20 years, his ministry in the program and the close and lasting friendships he made, enriched the quality of his life and inspired hope and confidence in the lives of others.

He traveled extensively and in 1994 he was invited to visit Rhens. There he was given the key to the city and honored in a weeklong celebration of reconciliation.

Helmut had a deep appreciation and keen knowledge of music, particularly classical music. He was an accomplished pianist who once performed at New York's Carnegie Hall as an accompanist. He enjoyed Tucson's symphony and opera seasons, and seldom missed a performance.

He is survived by his loving wife, Janet; son, Thomas (Gale); grandchildren, Travis, Heather Garcia (Arturo) and Bryan Burcham; stepchildren, Susan Marko (John) and Neil Lautaret (Christina); grandchildren, Elizabeth and Rebecca Marko and Jackson and Katharine Lautaret; brothers, Werner Frank (Veronica) and Stephen Frank (Patricia); nephew, Richard Frank (Carolyn) and nieces, Jennifer Johnson (Brad) and Maureen Nee (Paul), and many grandnieces and grandnephews.

The family thanks the staff at El Rancho Encanto Assisted Living Home for their gentle and loving care. A memorial Mass will be held for family and friends on Thursday, November 18, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 5150 N. Valley View Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Covenant House, 346 W. 17th Street, New York, NY 10011-5020, Attention: Donor Mail; or to a charity of your choice.

Arizona Daily Star, November 2004

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