In Memory: Lynn G. Bellenger, PE, Fellow ASHRAE

Lynn G. Bellenger, a partner of Pathfinder, passed away on October 19, 2011. Mrs. Bellenger is remembered not only as a leader in the field of energy engineering, but as a compassionate, caring and committed friend.

Mrs. Bellenger was a founding partner of Pathfinder, which was established in 1998. Mrs. Bellenger and her three business partners founded the firm to share with clients their passion for design and analysis. During her tenure with Pathfinder, Mrs. Bellenger provided energy engineering and energy modeling services to clients in New York, and across the country. She was a leader in developing energy modeling software, techniques and standards that are common to industry practice today.

She was active in several organizations, most significantly the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Throughout her career, Mrs. Bellenger served ASHRAE at the local, regional, national and international levels. From June 2010-June 2011, she served as the first female president of ASHRAE’s board of directors, on behalf of the 55,000 members worldwide. This was the fulfillment of a long-held goal for Mrs. Bellenger, who with her husband Neil, traveled to dozens of states in the US and to nearly 20 countries including India, Egypt, Japan, and Brazil.

Mrs. Bellenger's professional career began after graduating from Principia College with a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics and from Rutgers University with a Master’s Degree in environmental science. She began working at Xerox Corporation with a focus on energy conservation. While at Xerox she began her studies to become a Professional Engineer and was licensed in several states – a challenging course since her education was not in engineering. In 1977, she and Donald McGeddy, who began the energy program at Xerox, left the company to form a consultancy providing energy studies and analysis to firms nationwide. They worked together until 1991, when Mrs. Bellenger joined the former Sear-Brown Group.