In Memory of Linda Gronlund  

September 13, 1954 – September 11, 2001

The National Hydrogen Association is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of fellow hydrogen colleague and BMW employee Linda Gronlund. Linda was a passenger on United Airlines flight 93 bound for San Francisco on September 11, 2001. Linda’s friends and colleagues have described Linda as “fearless and focused” and believe that she would have been among the heroic passengers that diverted Flight 93 away from potential targets in Washington, DC that fateful day.

Linda joined BMW in October 1990, with both a passion for automobiles and a clean environment. As Environmental Compliance Manager for BMW of North America, she dedicated the better part of her career pushing the automotive industry for tougher standards to protect the ozone from further destruction as well as searching for solutions to slow the rate of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. She was responsible for all stationary environmental issues within the group. It was her job to make sure that all state and federal laws affecting the products and facilities were complied with by BMW. She also served as one of the original team of four responsible for oversight of the establishment of BMW’s South Carolina plant.

Prior to joining BMW of North America, Linda graduated magna cum laude with degrees in English and Marine Chemistry from Southampton College of Long Island University and later went on to earn a law degree from the Washington Law School at the American University in Washington, DC. She practiced law for several years before becoming an attorney in the customer relations department of Volvo and subsequently in their regulatory department.

She served as the principle point of contact for BMW’s CleanEnergy project, working hard to promote the use of hydrogen as an important fuel to continue our freedom of mobility. Most recently, she worked closely with noted hydrogen advocate and retired NASA engineer Addison Bain to design a unique liquid hydrogen mobile fueling station to support the BMW fleet of liquid hydrogen vehicles. Karl-Heinz Ziwica, General Manager of Environmental Engineering at BMW said Linda “got things done and got them done right, always.”

BMW has established the Linda G. Gronlund Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a contribution of $50,000. Contributions can be made out to MIT-Linda G. Gronlund Memorial Scholarship Fund and mailed to John Brunner, Manager, Human Resources, BMW NA, 300 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677 or P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, NJ 07675-1227.

You may have met Linda at the BMW exhibit booth at the NHA’s 12th Annual Meeting. She was busy answering many questions about BMW’s liquid hydrogen fueled vehicle fleet. On behalf of everyone at the National Hydrogen Association we send heartfelt condolences to Linda’s family and friends and everyone at the BMW Group.

©2002. All Rights Reserved. A Publication of the National Hydrogen Association.
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