Rudolf Greuer

Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Erimar Adelbert "Rudy" Greuer of Houghton, Professor Emeritus of Mining Engineering at Michigan Tech, passed away on Sunday, January 18th, 2015 at Portage Health in the presence of his wife and children. He had been a patient for one day.

 

Rudy was born on April 6th, 1927, in Guetzlaffshagen, German Pomerania to Max and Gertrud (Ladwig) Greuer. Rudy was a veteran of World War II, serving in the German armed forces as a naval RADAR operator, prior to spending a period of Soviet captivity as a prisoner of war. With his own grit and endurance, he successfully escaped Soviet captivity and made his way back to Germany's British Zone of Occupation where he was reunited with surviving family who had also fled from the oncoming Soviet Red Army. After his military service, Rudy worked as a miner in metal ore, coal, and potash mines in Germany. From this experience, he developed a passion for Mining Engineering; and during a recovery from a mine accident, he decided to pursue a degree in the field. He then attended the School of Mines in Freiberg, East Germany from 1948 to 1950. He later graduated with a Diplom (Masters) of Engineering in Mining Engineering from the Technical University at Clausthal, West Germany in 1953. He was granted the Doctor of Engineering in 1955 from the Technical University in Mining Engineering. In 1952, he was part of the first Academic between West Germany and the United Kingdom, through the German exchange organization DAAD (Deutsche Akademische Austauch Dienst). After receiving his doctorate, Rudy spent time on a fellowship through the Government of South Africa performing advanced studies and research on ventilation at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rudy then travelled overland through East Africa and for several months to Egypt, then on to his next appointment in Turkey he was a Lecturer at the Technical University in Istanbul. Later, Rudy accepted a position as a Senior Engineer at the West German Coal Mining Research Center in Essen, where he was also a German representative to the European Community's Committees on Mine Fires and Mine Ventilation. After ten years in this role, Rudy came to Michigan Tech's Department of Mining Engineering as an Associate Professor. He was later promoted to full Professor and held the position of Head of the Mining Engineering Department from 1980 to 1989. Beginning in the 1950's, Rudy pioneered the use of electronic digital computers for mine ventilation planning and is best known for a series of computer programs used for transient state simulation of ventilation and fire protection systems for underground mines and high rise buildings. Some of Rudy's awards have included: the Michigan Tech Faculty Research Award; a Special Achievement Award by the U.S. Bureau of Mines; the Performance Award from the U.S. Bureau of Mines; and the Society for Mining and Exploration (SME) Hartman Award from the International Mine Ventilation Symposium. Rudy has worked as an international consultant for the United States government and in the private sector, and participated in notable forensic investigations such as the 1972 Sunshine Mine disaster in Idaho's Silver Valley and the 1980 MGM Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas.

 

Rudy was an enthusiastic traveler, who particularly enjoyed working and spending time in China, and tied his travels throughout the Middle East together with his passions for ancient history, having once boasted that he had visited every single place mentioned in both the Old and New Testament.

 

He was married to Adelheid "Heidi" Greuer (Teichman) for 51 years, and is survived by wife Heidi of Houghton, daughter Friederike (Dennis) Gast of Chassell and family; grand-daughter Lilli Gast; and son, Wilhelm of Marquette. He is also survived by one brother, Dr.Johannes-Traugott (Lilo) Greuer of Braunschweig, Germany, and in-laws Kapitan Friederich-Karl (Rita) Teichman of Flensburg, Germany; Dr. Harro (Ortrud) Teichman of Flensburg, Germany; and Dr. Heinrich-Otto (Juliane) Teichman of Bovenden, Germany.

 

He was preceded in death by sister Ehrengard-Maria Greuer and brothers Martin Ladwig and Gerhard Greuer.

 

Services will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, January 23, 2015, at the Memorial Chapel in Hancock with Pastor Bucky Beach officiating. A wake is planned for later this year to celebrate his life and will be held at a time and venue to be announced.

 

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, donations may be made to Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), a program to facilitate German overseas academic study and cooperation, at a special account at the Michigan Tech Employees Federal Credit Union, or to a charity of one's choice.

 

The family would like to thank everybody who helped take care of Rudy during his last years, especially the Cardiac Rehabilitation unit at Portage (U.P. Health) for giving him a program to maintain his health through exercise and providing a social outlet. As Heidi said to Rudy before he passed, he is now free to travel once more. God-Speed to you Rudy, until we meet again. To send flowers to the family of Rudolf Greuer, please visit Tribute Store