Dear Michael-in-Heaven, As I write my head and heart are so full of joyful memories of you – and Mary – that I hardly know where to begin. But it occurs to me that now that you are in Heaven you might be able to hear everything that I am thinking so I don’t need the written word at all. And you will know that you and Mary will forever be a part of all that I am and all that I do, grounding me ever further, as you have since I was a small child, in God’s unconditional love. But I would just like to remind you here – on behalf of Jeremy too! – of one of the deep-down smiles that you made for us! During one happy stay with you when we were about 6 and 8 years old we had discovered the tantalising metal bannisters in the garden that ran alongside the steep steps linking the upper part of your terraced garden to the part below. Perfect for sliding down!! And we were having such fun affirming this theory when you came out into the garden. We were convinced that as a grown-up you would…

Really sad to hear that we’ve lost the wise voice of Mike Humphreys, to whom so much wisdom on thermal comfort traces back. I’m personally heartbroken to only have managed to meet him virtually, when he is (and will remain) such a hero of mine! Reading the many lovely tributes here, it’s clear that in all aspects of his life he put other people first. A life of service in every way….

Dick and I knew Michael and Mary when Michael was Minister at High Street Baptist Church in Tring.  I remember how they talked about the delicious smell of meat cooking ahen they arrived home after the Sunday service; and Mary’s children’s talks.  You could hear a pin drop when Michael preached a sermon.  He had a sense of humour.  He surprised everyone when he appeared clean shaven as a centrurian in a Christmas play.  (He previously had a long beard.)  He was always kind and supportive.  Somehow you always knew the right thing to do whe you were with Michael.  After Michael and Mary left High Street and Tring.  Michael came back to take part in the funeral service of our eldest son.  A kindness that meant a great deal to us and will never be forgotten. …

Dear old Dad! It was typical of you to slip away unnoticed and without fanfare in the quiet hours of the early morning.  This same quietness seems to encircle my grief, still raw and unshaped, and I find myself not quite able to consign you to the past tense. I am glad that, for you, there is no more sorrow nor sighing.  I can imagine you now catching up with Mum over a heavenly cuppa, and relishing the opportunity to quiz the New Testament writers on questions of authorship and use of vocabulary.  You have an infinitely wide audience for your dreadful puns, and are no doubt ensuring that everyone feels quite comfortable!  I learned so much from you – faith, fun and laughter, how to ask a good question, to be courageous, to love music, as well as a generous hospitality and how wonderful a cup of tea can be in a crisis.  I miss the way your mouth would twitch at the corners as you thought up a new pun; your wheezy laugh and your crinkly-eyed smile; you in your favourite tatty jumper with the patched elbows, and the silly socks worn with your sandals.  I miss your conversation,…

I give thanks for Michael’s innovative research into thermal comfort and a couple of interesting theological chats on the few occasions we met; much appreciated. Condolences to his family on the loss of a kind man, a leader in his field….

I remember Michael with such warmth and affection. Claire and I joined High St Baptist church in Tring soon after moving there. First impressions were of a quiet and hugely patient man. He had to be patient with a contingent of very keen evangelical church members!! I remember fondly what were very formational conversations whilst I served as Church Secretary and as an undergraduate at what was in those days called London Bible College in Northwood. His sense of humour was dry and sharp as a razor. I remember the first time I ever preached. It was at at High St. I told him after the service that I had misplaced my sermon notes immediately before getting up to preach and how panicked it made me feel. He asked with a wicked twinkle in his eye, although he knew I had found the notes in the nick of time, “did you find them?”! A lovely, faithful and thoughtful man. I give thanks to God for the gift of his life to us all. Rest in peace Michael.  …

I (and Tricia) were so sorry to hear of the death of my younger brother, Michael.  My fond memories of him go back over 80 years. I’m not much good with remembrance books these days, but my thoughts go back to:   Charley ‘Arry Newton le Scales, 1951, a village between Preston and Blackpool, the village Sports Day and funfair. Michael and I went along, since we lived in Clifton, the next village. As teenagers we were drawn to the rifle range. Prizes were a bit mean, for sixpence invested, you could win a threepenny prize if you hit two  tin ducks. Much better prizes if you got Charley ‘Arry who was in a box with a tiny target.  Michael couldn’t resist a challenge, invested his sixpence and had a go at Charley ‘Arry …                         The fair was halted by a klaxon hooting. For the first and only time that day, the box (coffin) opened, and slowly a skeleton sat up. Charley ‘Arry in person.  Good shooting, Michael! …

Michael was well established as a leading player in thermal comfort research when we were colleagues at the Building Research Station in the 1970s. I recall his telling me about a school study where he had piloted the methodology one January prior to conducting the full-scale research the following June. Unfortunately, June in that year was colder than January – such are the challenges of conducting research in real-life situations. He continued to contribute to the field for decades after leaving full-time research and I was very pleased to be able to renew contact with him a couple of years ago and to hear about his remarkable dual-track career. A gentle and kindly man, he would undoubtedly have been a wise and sensitive pastor. My condolences to the family. RIP Michael….

I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, but I have admired and learned from his research for a long time. Hearing of his passing is truly saddening. His contributions have left a lasting impact on the research community and will continue to motivate students and researchers for years to come. May he rest in peace. 🙏…

Vale Michael Humphreys News of Michael’s passing last weekend deeply saddened me and I’ve been unable to think of anything else since. He was the definitive scholar and gentleman, and he had a hugely positive impact on my career over four and a half decades now.  In 1981 when I was casting about for a PhD research question, my supervisor at the University of Queensland, Andris Auliciems, gave me a re-print of a Technical Note from the UK Building Research Establishment that had been authored by Michael Humphreys in the mid-1970s (Field Studies of Thermal Comfort Compared and Applied). It was an inspirational overview of the adaptive thermal comfort model, and it helped me to crystallise the central concept of my PhD. What started as a PhD topic morphed into the core question of my entire research career, but I had to wait until the 1990s to actually have the pleasure of meeting Michael face-to-face at the seminal Windsor Conferences. It was such a pleasant surprise to discover that someone who had influenced my scientific curiosity so fundamentally was so accessible, affable, and genuinely interested in an early career researcher like me coming from nowhere important. Michael stayed in…

Michael was one of the nicest and most helpful people it was my pleasure to have known. He was always willing to engage in conversation about academic work, both with myself and importantly with many students I introduced to him. They all expressed their gratitude that such an important figure in Thermal Comfort was willing to spend time helping them with detailed explanations of things perhaps only he had the time and understanding to communicate. Although my meetings with him were almost always connected to thermal comfort I remember some interesting and enjoyable conversations around his faith and beliefs during gaps in proceedings at the Windsor Conferences. I thank him for that and I thank hs family too for lending him to us for those events well beyond retirement age!…

Dear Michael, The first time I met you in 2006 at Oxford Brookes University, you and Fergus were pouring over your recent adaptive thermal comfort fieldwork surveys from the SCAT research project.  You were clearly a highly intelligent boffin, and I stood in awe. Your twinkling smile and gentle words soon invited me into the warmth of your academic embrace. I was made to feel part of the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Family very quickly, thanks to you. Your mentoring was superlative and your infinite patience with folk struggling to understand your profound work in building physics was a joy to be around. Your contribution to our understanding of the relationships between people and their built environments was outstanding. It certainly re-shaped my thinking and helped me to ” see” thermal comfort for what it actually is. Your gentle sense of humour and careful nudging through challenging research waters lifted everyone you worked with over many decades. Thanks for that. There is a big hole where you were in life, but your life’s work lives on. I miss you. Much love, Fionn x            …

I feel it was an absolute privilege to have met and engaged with Michael and be influenced by his analysis, his perservence, his words on thermal comfort. His influence on the understanding worldwide of what comfort is and how there was a better way of bridging the physiological and psychological has been enormous.  …

I was very saddened to learn of the passing of Michael Humphreys. His pioneering work on adaptive thermal comfort has profoundly shaped the field, bringing a human-centred perspective that continues to guide both research and practice today.As a young researcher working on thermal comfort, I have greatly benefited from his contributions, which remain a key reference in my work. My thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and colleagues. He leaves behind an invaluable scientific and human legacy that will continue to inspire many of us….

Very sad to hear that Mike has left us. He was an inspiring person and researcher. I had the privilege to meet him during the fantastic Windsor Conferences and learned a lot from him. My deepest condolences  to his family….