Henry F. Helmholz was born in Chicago. he received his B.S. in 1902 from the University of Wisconsin and his M.D. in 1906 from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was a fellow in pathology at Johns Hopkins before going to Europe in 1907 for graduate work in medicine. After returning from Europe, he became a faculty member in pediatrics at Rush Medical College, Chicago, from 1910 until 1920. In 1921, he became chief of the section of pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic. He also served as a faculty member in the Mayo Foundation Graduate School, University of Minnesota from 1921 until 1949. Helmholz was one of the group that helped organize the American Academy of Pediatrics and was an international consultant.

Spending an evening once a year with my hero, Dr Fred Helmholz. People think he's a finals judge because of his professional stature. He's a finals judge because he knows everything. The other pulmonologists listen when he speaks in his patient way. Every year at finals, in the breaks between rounds, I ask him to tell me about the founders. He tells me stories about Comroe, Barach, Nurenberg, Emerson, Bird, and Bennett--things only he knows. He tells me about going up in a bomber during World War II to test an oxygen mask. The tenacity and inventiveness of these people still influence respiratory care today.