Franz Zur Nedden
Dr. Ing. Franz Zur Nedden (c1881-1954)
1954 Obituary [1]
ENGINEERS in many countries, who have an interest in the work of the World Power Conference will learn with regret of the death in Berlin on Saturday, October 23rd, of Dr.-Ing. Franz zur Nedden, secretary of the German National Committee.
Dr. zur Nedden, who died in his seventy-fourth year, was a valued member of the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, practically throughout the whole of his career. He was a close collaborator of the late Dr. Conrad Matschoss the director of the Verein, and assisted him with editorial and publishing work. He also served on many of the technical committees of the Verein.
Shortly after the end of the first world war, zur Nedden was called to serve the German Government in the distribution of its coal and fuel supplies, and was appointed a departmental chief and secretary of the Technical and Scientific Committee formed to advise the Government on its fuel problems. That special work brought him in close touch with the mining industry, its technical institutions and distributors and users of fuel.
When in connection with the First World Power Conference held in London in 1924 it was decided to form a German ad hoc committee to promote German participation, zur Nedden was elected deputy secretary and he held the same position in the Permanent German National Committee. The late Dr. Conrad Matschoss was the secretary for many years, but his work as director of the V.D.I. and his many literary activities prevented him from devoting as much time to the work of the World Power Conference as his deputy. It thus came about that zur Nedden was the most active honorary officer of the Second Plenary World Power Conference, held in Berlin in 1930, when 3891 members took part. Although he did not hold the title, he became in effect the honorary organiser of that conference.
In the years which followed, zur Nedden continued to attend in unbroken sequence all the plenary and sectional meetings of the World Power Conference, and those of its International Council.
After the second world war he was present at the Fourth World Power Conference, held in London in 1950, and the Delhi Sectional Conference of 1951. In the July of that year Western Germany was readmitted to the World Power Conference as a permanent organisation and Franz zur Nedden was elected secretary of the National Committee for the German Federal Republic, a post he continued to hold up to the time of his death. He attended the meeting of the International Executive Council in Chicago in 1952, and the meetings in Germany which took place at Essen and Dusseldorf in 1953. He was not well enough, however, to attend the recent Brazilian Sectional Meeting of the Conference, or the 1954 meeting of the International Executive Council, which also took place in Brazil.
Dr. zur Nedden continued his close association with the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure when it was re-established in Dusseldorf, and he was entrusted with the publishing of the technical journal Brenstoff-Wiirme-Kraft "BWK," which is jointly owned by the Deutscher Ingenieure Verlag G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, and the Springer Verlag Berlin.
Dr. zur Nedden learnt to know England and the English language when in his early days he worked in Cornwall as an engineer for a company operating tin mines. His work for the engineering industry both at home and abroad, was recognised by the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure in 1951, when he was awarded the V.D.I. Mark of Honour.
In 1954 he received from the German Federal Republic the Service Cross of its Order of Service, for his international work on power problems. Those who were privileged to know him personally and to work with him will long remember his particularly warm and charming personality, which won for him many friends among his foreign colleagues.