Dr. Heinz "Harvey" Happ

1928 - 2021

Dr. (Harvey) Heinz Happ, 93, of Niskayuna, NY, died on December 12, 2021. Heinz was a loving family man, accomplished scientist, lifelong teacher and learner and proud German -Jewish American. Heinz was born in Berlin Germany, on June 27, 1928, the son of Harry Happ and Hertha (Friedmann) Happ. Heinz survived a diphtheria epidemic in Berlin in 1936 as well as Kristallnacht in 1938 where he witnessed firsthand the early horrors of the Holocaust. In April 1939 he immigrated to Shanghai, China with his family and much of the Berlin Jewish community to escape the Nazis. They were unable to bring any valuables or possessions due to the Nazi’s rules for Jews. Life in Shanghai was difficult, but he was educated in the ghetto by other German-Jewish “refugees,� many of whom were educators/teachers as well as professionals in Germany, and who shared their talents with fellow refugees in the Shanghai ghetto throughout World War II. Heinz survived the many serious illnesses circulating in the ghetto due to unhygienic and close living quarters. In 1947, he traveled alone and penniless to America to start a new life and settled in Chicago. He put himself through college, graduating from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1954. He later received a Master's degree in Engineering from RPI in 1958 and a Ph.D. in Engineering from RPI and the University of Belgrade Yugoslavia in 1962. He was inducted into three engineering honor societies: Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and Sigma Xi. Heinz served in the National Guard in an Artillery unit while in college after he became a US citizen in 1953. He married Ruth Hollander (who he always referred to as his “my sweet Rutchen�) in 1951 in Chicago where they met at a synagogue dance. He was a devoted husband, and they were happily married for 67 years. He lovingly cared for Ruth prior to her death in 2018. Heinz and Ruth strongly believed that education was key to a meaningful life, and they supported their children and grandchildren in fulfilling this dream. Heinz was a respected manager who led Power Systems teams at General Electric where he started in their Rotating Engineering Program in 1954 and worked in Ohio, Massachusetts, and finally Schenectady, New York. He was a sought-after consultant and speaker at numerous professional conferences in the field of power systems engineering, as well as national colleges where he was a visiting professor. Among other professional accomplishments, he was instrumental in resolving the Northeast blackout of 1965, and redesigning the US power grid so that outages in one part of the system would not propagate to other parts, which remains the backbone design of today’s power systems. He published hundreds of papers as well as half a dozen books, many of which are still referenced today, and was proud of achieving a notation in Who’s Who in America. He retired from GE in 1988 and joined the NYS Public Service Commission until 2008 where amongst his other duties, he represented The NYS Public Service Commission to advocate on behalf of New York state resources to Congress in Washington DC. He retired at age 80. Heinz maintained his innate strength as a German-Jewish Holocaust survivor, as well as his love for his closest friends and family throughout his challenging illnesses. Heinz enjoyed long walks, reading, and family discussions. He especially enjoyed talking with and helping his children and grandchildren and their spouses identify their strengths and avocations. He will be dearly missed by all whose lives he touched. Heinz is survived by his two daughters, Deborah (Jay) Yablon of Niskayuna and Sandra (Robert) Klein of Irvine California; his four grandchildren Joshua (Lindsey Shapiro) Yablon, Rachel (Oren) Castro, Adam (Ellie) Klein, Paula (Erik) Lustgarten and six great grandchildren, Benjamin, Marley, Ezra, Zion, Adam and Nora. The Happ family wish to thank the Kingsway Arms staff for their excellent care. Interment will be at the Agudat Achim Cemetery on Schermerhorn Street in Rotterdam on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. Memorial donations can be made to Congregation Agudat Achim https://ats.org/giving/ To view the funeral service via livestream, please follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbAQufSihdw. For directions or to leave a condolence message for the family, please visit levinememorialchapel.com.