It is with regret that we record the death on November 14, 2016 of Michael Higgins, former president of Engineers Ireland (1991 - 1992) and a founding Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering. Michael Higgins, mechanical and electrical engineer, was born on June 8. 1934 in Galway, son of John Higgins of Ardrahan and Anna Silver. He was educated at St Mary’s College, Galway, and at University College Dublin, where he studied mechanical and electrical engineering. He graduated BE in 1957. In 1963, he obtained a BComm degree and in 1977 an MBA. Having worked in the electrical engineering department in UCD for twelve months, and with the ESB for two years, he worked for the next fourteen years with a number of companies in the oil industry, including Irish Shell and BP in Dublin and Shell MEX and BP in London. In 1974, Michael joined Calor, becoming business development manager and later director of Calor International Services Ltd. From 1975, he was a member of the Confederation of Irish Industries (CII) Energy Policy Group and was a joint author of the CII publication, Saving Energy. He was involved in the promotion of a major new natural gas service in industry in Ireland and the UK, France Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. A Chartered Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a European Engineer (EUR ING), Michael served on Council and the Executive and was President of Engineers Ireland (1991-1992). He is a founding Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering (1997) and for many years served as its honorary secretary. He served for a time as chairman of Irish Engineering Publications. He was a founder member of the Engineers Ireland Energy division in 1979 and was its chairman from 1981 to 1987. He was a president, honorary treasurer and secretary of the Engineering and Scientific Association of Ireland and served as president of the MBA Association. He also served as president of the Association of Advertisers in Ireland. Michael was devoted to his partner Iseult McCarthy. He had a daughter Helen, and three sons, Paul, Hugh and Eoin. Michael Higgins died suddenly on 14 November 2016 in Copenhagen, while attending a Euro-CASE meeting. He is buried in Labane cemetery, Ardrahan, county Galway.