Biography
Herman Johannes graduated from Technische Hogeschool (THS) in Bandung, West Java, an institution which was moved to Yogyakarta in 1946 during the war of independence with the Dutch. The institution later became the embryo of Gadjah Mada University.
During his academic career, Johannes carried out research on rural technology, including inventing a charcoal stove designed especially for the poor, which used biomass charcoal briquettes for fuel. Johannes also investigated other types of alternative fuels and explored the possibility of turning agricultural waste into fuel.
Herman Johannes was involved in the military in 1940s. He was the head of the Indonesian Army Arsenal Laboratory during the independence war against Dutch occupation. His laboratory produced explosives such as smoke bombs and hand grenades which were used by Indonesian guerrillas to sabotage the movement of the Dutch military in Central Java.
Herman Johannes married Annie Marie Gilbertine Amalo in 1955. They had four children: Christine, Henriette, Daniel Johannes and Helmi Johannes, a newscaster at the VOA.
Johannes was decorated with the Guerilla Medal in 1958 and Mahaputra Medal in 1973 by the Indonesian government. Herman Johannes died on 17 October 1992 of prostate cancer. He was buried at the Gadjah Mada University Cemetery in Sawitsari, Yogyakarta. The Indonesian government honored Herman Johannes and named the Greater Forest Park in Kupang Regency in East Nusa Tenggara province after him. His name is also used for a boulevard in downtown Yogyakarta. In November 2009, he was honored by the Indonesian government as a National Hero.
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