IFMA Remembers Charlie Claar
30 September 2011 - Claar was an accomplished educator, engineer, and IFMA Statesman

IFMA members and staff were saddened to learn of the passing today of Charles N. Claar, CFM, CFMJ, PE, IFMA Fellow. Claar was an accomplished educator, engineer and IFMA statesman who devoted his professional life to engineering and facility management, serving these professions with distinction for more than 50 years.

Members of the IFMA family will remember his many contributions to the association. Claar joined IFMA as a member in 1987 and was affiliated with the Central Pennsylvania Chapter, where he went on to serve as chapter president and vice president. By 1993, Claar was on IFMA's international board of directors, where he played an integral role in introducing the association's Accredited Degree Program standards, which recognize quality facility management programs at colleges and universities around the world.

Claar joined the IFMA staff as director of research in 1995, where he helped increase IFMA's presence and standing in the built environment professional community through numerous research initiatives. In 2000, he began serving as IFMA's vice president of professional development, a role in which he helped grow the Certified Facility Manager credential globally and establish it as the premier designation for facility professionals.

Claar joined the IFMA Foundation board of trustees in 2004 and over the next four years served as secretary/treasurer and vice chair. Under his leadership on the IFMA Foundation board, the Foundation took over the responsibilities of recognizing and accrediting facility management Accredited Degree Program schools.

Claar had a lifelong passion for education and mentorship, and most recently, he served the IFMA Foundation as director of academic affairs. He enjoyed traveling the world, meeting with educators and students, and ensuring the future of the profession by building an awareness of facility management and the Accredited Degree Program. In his time as director of academic affairs, he greatly expanded the number of internationally accredited schools. Today, colleges and universities in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States are accredited, in large part due to Claar's outreach efforts.

Beyond IFMA, Claar was a man of diverse interests. Being a Pennsylvania State University alumnus, he was a fanatical Penn State sports fan, and was at one point awarded a coveted "Nittany Lion" statue from the athletic department for his volunteer efforts.

He was also an avid model railroad engineer who built detailed working railroad displays in his basement and backyard. Claar's father had been a police officer who worked for the Pennsylvania railroad, and Claar grew up around the tracks. He loved riding trains and was an encyclopedia on trains and railroads.

Claar was also a World War II history buff, stemming from his interest in his uncle, who was shot down in a B-17 Flying Fortress in the European Theatre of WWII. Claar enjoyed reading extensively of historical accounts of the war.

Many people, however, will remember Claar most for his passion for education, mentorship and outreach. He served as a professor at Penn State for nearly two decades, where he was a mentor to students studying architecture, engineering and facility management. He was a tireless advocate for FM education, degree programs and scholarships for deserving students.

A memorial service for Claar will be held Oct. 22, 2011, at Solomon's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chambersburg, Penn. The family is requesting that anyone interested in making donations send them to the IFMA Foundation's Accredited Degree Program, "in honor of Charlie Claar."

Claar's contributions to IFMA will be missed, and association members and staff remember him fondly and mourn his passing. One always knew when Charlie was around — his presence was preceded by a hearty laugh, followed by a big smile and a firm handshake.