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High Pressure Centrifugal Blower Gohl Sr., Fredrick Herbert 96, a longtime resident of Barrington Hills, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois and Naples, Florida passed away in Naples on June 20, 2013. Born on July 18, 1916 to the late Fredrick O. and Hermine E. (Mayer) Gohl, Fredrick was a pioneer in creating the highest quality air handling products in the world. He introduced the airfoil bladed centrifugal-fan which is still more efficient and quieter than traditional backward inclined bladed fans. The airfoil centrifugal is still the leader in air movement technology in both HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) and industrial use worldwide. Fred Gohl started Chicago Blower Corporation, today the most important industrial fan manufacturing company in Illinois in 1947, and remained President until 1981, remaining active as Chairman of the Board throughout his life. Chicago Blower Corporation’s fans and blowers are expertly designed specifically for industrial heating and HVAC markets, in electricity power plants, gas and oil refining plants, farm applications, schools, hospitals, steel mills, and processing plants installed in major structures worldwide, in the Sydney Opera House, Australia, the Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia (once the tallest buildings in the world), the Pentagon, and in the city of Chicago’s CTA transit cars, at McCormick Place and the United Airlines terminal at O’Hare International Airport. Today CBC is certified to ISO 9001, an internationally recognized standard for quality. Although Chicago Blower started in the city of Chicago, and later moved west to Franklin Park, Illinois, today it’s located in Glendale Heights, Illinois. The 250,000 square foot facility is the center of CBC’s operations where engineering, fabrication, and testing facilities are maintained continuing the tradition of air movement innovation. Over 100 manufacturers’ representatives sell for the company throughout the United States and Canada as well as international licensees in twenty-four other countries who manufacture and sell their products. Although Chicago Blower Corporation was Fred Gohl’s first and undoubtedly his most lasting and successful undertaking, he also branched out to many other businesses, some unrelated to the fan and blower business. In the early 1960s in Franklin Park, he spun off Chicago Blower’s farm products department into the Chicago Eastern Corporation (CEC) relocated to Marengo, Illinois. CEC designed, manufactured and sold grain aeration fans and grain storage tanks sold around the world. Farm sales were dropping due to the loss of government subsidies so he sold CEC and purchased the struggling Barrett Industrial Trucks Company, moved it next to the emptying Chicago Eastern factory in Marengo, Illinois, grew it profitably and later sold Barrett with the two adjoining factories to the Nissan Motor Co., LTD where it became, and still is, Nissan Forklift. Also, back at the Franklin Park facility as CEC was forming, Fred Gohl started the Chicago Conveyor which made material conveying systems using high pressure air through piping and Chicago Blower fans as the driving engine. CCC was growing rapidly into elaborate systems conveying various commercial products including Kool-Aid powder resulting in fans with a rainbow of colors on the blades. He sold the controlling portion of CCC before moving Chicago Blower to Glendale Heights, Illinois. Fred Gohl held investments in several properties, including a large tract of land in Colorado, consisting of approximately 20,000 acres and the Maryknoll Convent property, west of Chicago. For many years, Fred owned a large estate in the Boulder Junction area of Northern Wisconsin. It contained a private lake stocked by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR would, with Fred’s permission, bring visiting dignitaries to the lake to fish, one of which was the late President Eisenhower. In Ft. Myers, Florida, Fred Gohl developed The Admiralty Yacht Club, a gated waterfront community located directly on the northern shores of the Caloosahatchee River in North Ft. Myers, Florida. The housing options at the Admiralty Yacht Club include condos and single-family homes. Fred Gohl purchased a large amount of acreage in Huntley, Illinois. He wanted to grow hay on rolling farmland and reportedly did a lot of earthmoving himself with commercial dozers and trucks. He later sold off the land which is now Sun City Huntley, a Del Webb retirement community. In 1992 he moved on to start AMR, American Medical Response Corporation, in Glendale Heights. AMR provided emergency responses as required using a large fleet of computer-tracked ambulances. AMR was sold and continues to grow country-wide today. Fred Gohl was an avid sportsman with a love of the English tradition of the Hunt in Barrington Hills since 1958. He was Joint Master of the Fox River Valley Hunt with founder, Virginia Reinhardt, in 1964 and in 1967 became President of MFH; in a tribute booklet at the time it was written that “wherever hounds are cast, Fred you’ll find before the rest.” In 1985, he was joined by his wife, Susan, who had an interest in hunting and Dressage and in 1989 bought Flying Dutchman Farm on Plum Tree Road, Barrington Hills; innovators at the time, they imported sport horses for Dressage from Germany and Holland under the direction of famed Horsemaster Juergen Helmert. The farm was sold in 2000 but its innovation has long been respected by other national and international equestrians. Fred Gohl excelled in golf, tennis and skiing and in his youth raced inland skows; his nautical enthusiasm continued with many boats designed and built to his specifications. He and Susan’s current vessel is the Lazarra ship, Susanna Bella, harbored in Naples, Florida. Their home in Port Royal was built in 1997 and they split their time between there and a vintage penthouse cooperative on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago which reflects their love of France and the Gallic tradition in design. They traveled extensively the world over and have been involved in many charities, making significant charitable contributions to The Service Club of Chicago, St. Ann’s Foundation, Naples, the English Speaking Union of America, the Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, the American Cancer Society, Naples Children and Education Fund, P.A.W.S., Chicago, the Philharmonic Center for Arts, and The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museum, Chicago. He was a member of Port Royal Club, Naples, Naples Yacht Club, Moorings Country Club, Naples, and Barrington Hills Country Club, Barrington Hills, Illinois. Fred is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Susan Griffiths Gohl; four children, Fritz (Janice) Gohl, Patrick (Joan) Griffiths, Danielle Armstrong, and Janet (Dr. Wayne) Schupbach; grandchildren, Colton, Lucy, Jon-Michael, Marjorie, Melissa, Michael, Maximilian, and Philip; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, June. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 26th from 5:00 7:00 p.m. with a funeral service starting at 7:00 p.m. at Fuller Funeral Home, 1625 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL 34109. Visitation will also be held on Saturday, June 29th from 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. in the chapel at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611 (please enter through chapel doors located between State Street and Wabash on Superior) with a funeral service following in the Cathedral’s main sanctuary at 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow at Graceland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Fred’s memory to St. Ann Catholic Church, Naples, Florida; The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, Chicago; Service Club of Chicago; English Speaking Union of Chicago; Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois; P.A.W.S., Chicago; or HARPS, Barrington Hills, Illinois. For online condolences, visit fullerfuneralhome.com.