It is with sadness Batteries International reports that Allen Byrne, 81, a stalwart of the lead battery industry for almost half a century, passed away in Connecticut on December 28.

A popular, well-liked and extremely knowledgeable engineer he was known for his expertise in lead battery applications; his support for the industry and also for being one of the founders of Battcon, the long-standing conference on stationary power.

Allen was born in 1944 in Coleraine, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. After attending St. Patrick’s College in Armagh, Allen joined Britain’s Royal Air Force where he served on NATO missions and alongside US armed forces. He left the service in June 1974 with a degree in electronic engineering. Among his many international postings probably the most prestigious was his time working at NATO Communications Headquarters in England.

Allen then began an international civilian career in power systems engineering. From the late 1970s he worked for Systems Engineering International in the Middle East, initially as an international operations manager but then as VP for marketing, operations and engineering. While working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he met his wife, Maura, a nurse at King Faisal Hospital. In 1979, the couple moved to the US, ultimately settling in Frederick, Maryland. They were married for 46 years.

In the 1990s Allen became recognized internationally and in 1994 he became a co-founder of PowerConsult Inc. Until his retirement in September 2016, he worked for three well recognised industry names — American Power Conversion, Douglas Battery and most latterly Interstate PowerCare (part of Interstate Batteries). He continued to act for Interstate through his consultancy firm, Brass Tacks Power System Advisors, and in one of his most enjoyable jobs, with Eagle Eye Power Solutions.

Allen was also a senior member of the IEEE, a well-regarded speaker at a variety of events and for many years a contributing editor for Power Quality Assurance magazine.

Allen will be particularly remembered for the huge contribution he made for stationary battery professionals in helping set up Battcon.

Speaking to Batteries International in 2016 he talked about how Battcon evolved. “We first started talking about a conference dedicated to battery performance in 1994 but it took a couple of years for it to develop. The need for something dealing with the VRLA battery industry was evident. Especially so, given customers’ anger, regarding the VRLA product and the battery industry in general.

“In response to this I wrote, in June 1996, what could be best described as a call-to-action and distributed it to senior figures in the industry and most importantly Glenn Albér. It was called ‘Bothered by Batteries … Is there an Answer?’ In it I addressed the same concerns that I had about VRLA batteries in general and called for some form of a battery users group. In that same issue, Glenn Alber and Marco Migliaro wrote ‘Guaranteeing Battery System Performance. Part 1 — Understanding Failures.’

“The scene was set. Less than a year later Glenn founded Battcon and Marco was the first moderator. Unfortunately, Marco was unable to moderate the second Battcon and I was press ganged, literally the day before the conference.”

Allen, who was an original member of the Battcon Technical Committee, went on to chair the conference for 17 years and was inducted into the Battcon Battery Hall of Fame in 2011.

“Allen was the technical genius on battery performance and safety, as well as the comic relief as the Battcon moderator. I was lucky enough to have attended most of the Battcon conferences, and Allen was the guy everyone would seek out to shake his hand and enjoy his humor,” said industry colleague Don Lenz.

“Allen was a great mentor and friend. I had the privilege of working with him in the IEEE Stationary Battery Committee and Battcon. He was a unique individual and will be sorely missed.”

Allen was deeply committed to the Frederick community where he lived for some three decades. As a practising Christian, he belonged to St John’s Catholic Church, and was active in many levels of charitable service to his home town. He served on the Frederick County Economic and Community Development Commission and with the Kiwanis Club of Frederick, including a term as chapter president of its work for the needed and disadvantaged and its involvement with the Mission of Mercy and the Salvation Army.

Allen had a wide array of interests — these included time as state historian for the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Maryland and president of the local rugby club. His friends said he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Irish history and music. He was adventurous too, driving the entire 2,450 mile length of Route 66 solo in 2017.

“He was a man of intelligence, wit, candour, and quiet resolve, who deeply loved his family. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” said one friend. “He was a mentor to many.”

Writing many years ago about what he hoped his legacy might be, Allen said: “Depending upon the point in their career path, I would want anyone that I mentored to know more than I did when I was in their shoes. I want them to be so competent that they can rise in the ranks. I hope that I have made their job easier and more rewarding.”

Allen is survived by his wife, Maura Byrne; his five children and six grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Arthur Byrne. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Martin Byrne.