Roland Glenn Henrichs
Juneau resident Roland Glenn Henrichs died Nov. 7, 2009, at his home, after a lengthy illness. He was 65.
He was born Sept. 1, 1944, to Raymond and Maxine Henrichs in Anchorage, where he lived until 1963, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
After his discharge he stayed in the San Diego area working as an electrician until 1978 when he moved to Haines to take over his father's business, Lutak Electric.
Contractor Roger Schnabel said Henrichs was an exceptional talent.
"He was pretty much a genius in my book," Schnabel said. "When I had a problem with sophisticated mechanical or electrical issues he was the go-to guy."
Schnabel also said Henrichs fit the absent-minded professor role, to some extent, and that making money was not a big priority for him. Glenn loved the challenge of complex problems but didn't like to deal with boring details like sending out bills.
Fellow electrician Erwin Hertz said Glenn's expertise exceeded that of electrical engineers. During the remodel of the Chilkat Center, Hertz said the Atlanta company that manufactured the sound control board sent the very professional looking engineer who designed it to Haines to install it. When they couldn't get the system to work, Hertz called Henrichs, who arrived looking like he had slept in his truck. The engineer was appalled. Henrichs spent all night reading sheets of electrical blueprints. Then he asked for a phone. He took it apart, removed a small piece and soldered it onto a part of the sound board and it worked.
"After that the engineer followed him around like a puppy dog," Hertz said.
In 2001 Glenn moved to Juneau to work for the state as an HVAC specialist in the maintenance of 11 state office buildings. He retired one week before his death. His supervisors acknowledged his outstanding expertise in all areas of his work including quality control, planning, design and diagnostic support. They said on occasion he pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat to ensure problems were kept to a minimum. He loved his job and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with coworkers, contractors, trainers and professionals.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by his brother, Larry Henrichs of Willow; sister, Linda Mills of Juneau; and daughter, Elizabeth Robinson of Missouri, and their families.
He was honored with a memorial by his coworkers on Nov. 20. A family memorial is planned in Anchorage during the Thanksgiving holidays.