Leonard L. "Lynn" Northrup, Jr's Obituary
Leonard L. “Lynn” Northrup, Jr., born March 18, 1918, in Houston, Texas, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by family, on March 24, 2016, six weeks after he retired and three and a half weeks after the death of his beloved wife, Mernie. He was 98. A fourth generation Texan on his father’s side and fifth generation on his mother’s, Northrup was the son of Leonard Lazelle Northrup and Dolly McKaskle Northrup. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, Class of 1936, in Dallas, Texas. He received a BA from Southern Methodist University where he was President of Phi Delta Theta, an MS in Engineering from the University of Denver, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Northrup was remarkable in his creativity, humility and extraordinary work ethic. From the time he was a boy, working in his grandfather’s saddle factory, he committed himself tirelessly to whom and what he loved most. As a boy he worked through the Depression taking odd jobs and throwing several paper routes, adding to the family’s income as best he could. He was the quintessential American entrepreneur and Renaissance man and never lost that drive to improve, achieve and make a difference. Northrup served as a Captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers during and shortly after World War II. During that time he met Hilda Jane Keliher on a blind date. They were married in 1947 and welcomed daughter Susan in 1948 and son James Lynn “Chip” in 1949. Together they designed a modern house for their family with one of the first residential central air conditioning systems in the United States. Northrup was a prolific inventor, with 14 US patents over his lifetime. His first, granted in 1951, pioneered a new method of cleaning jet engines; his last, granted in 2006, was for an evaporative desalination system. In the early 1970’s, Northrup developed high-efficiency residential air conditioning systems. He also pioneered the commercialization of solar thermal energy in the United States, and designed, patented, and manufactured some of the first commercial solar-powered water heaters, air conditioning systems, power towers and photovoltaic thermal hybrid systems. Northrup’s breakthrough technology included a solar collector that used a curved acrylic fresnel lens to concentrate sunlight. Northrup Energy soon became the preeminent developer of solar thermal technology and later merged to become ARCO Solar, then BP Solar, the largest solar photovoltaic energy company in the world. The fundamentals of Northrup’s systems are still in use in tracking parabolic solar collectors. In the 1980s, Northrup assembled one of the largest tracts of land in downtown Dallas, joint venturing with James Rouse to build a festival marketplace. The project was sold to a group that failed to pursue it, but the original design became an inspiration to the city and later developers. Northrup later founded American Limestone, an innovator in the application of Texas limestone in building facades. He patented a revolutionary construction system of veneer panels secured to metal rails. The easy-to-install design popularized its use in construction. In memory of his wife Jane, Northrup donated massive blocks of limestone and devised a block-on-block construction technique for the Cistercian Chapel in Irving, TX. The architect, Gary Cunningham, the designer of the chapel said, “We wanted to build a church that would literally last for the next 900 years.” Northrup’s innovations insured that it would. Northrup was also a philanthropist and rancher. He was generous with his time, talent and resources in helping family, friends and colleagues. He also served on the Board of Directors of Trinity University, was a long-time member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, and donated land to the city of Boerne, Texas, for its municipal park. Although Northrup was dedicated to his work, he was most passionate about his family. He embodied the unwavering commitment of a true family patriarch, providing a safe haven as mentor, cheerleader and protector to his children and grandchildren. He and Jane were happily married for 43 years before her passing in 1989, raising their children, travelling and cultivating a remarkable intellectually curious relationship. He was again blessed when he and Mernie, a good friend of Jane’s, married some three years later. They shared 24 wonderful years together. Mernie nurtured him tirelessly and lovingly through his final years. Northrup is preceded in death by his first wife, Jane Keliher Northrup and his second wife, Merlyn Myers Northrup. He is survived by his sister Elaine Loyd, and his children: Susan Northrup Eldredge and husband Linc, James L. “Chip” Northrup and wife Nancy, Tommy Overton and wife Priscilla, all of Dallas; and Nancy Benzmiller and husband Greg of Colorado Springs. He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren: Rebecca Eldredge, Emily Eldredge (Pasqual), Ben Eldredge (René), J.D. Northrup (Jamie), Kate Summers (Quince), Robert Northrup, Natalie Northrup (Brian), Hannah Benzmiller, and Austin, Elli, Lily and Judson Overton. His great-grandchildren, Olivia Eldredge, Brooke and Lauren Summers, were lights in his life. Northrup’s memorial service will be held at 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 2 at the First United Methodist Church, 1928 Ross Avenue in Dallas. Valet parking will be available off Harwood behind the main church. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243. Donations may be made in Northrup’s memory to the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.
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