DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENT

Dr. Karl Henize, Class of 1943, is being honored posthumously.  Dr. Henize was an astronomer, NASA astronaut, space scientist, and professor at Northwestern University.

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As a youth, Karl excelled in science and math and was a boy scout, which introduced him to astronomy.  After graduating from Plainville High School (now Mariemont High School,) Henize received a bachelor of arts in mathematics in 1947 and a Master of Arts degree in astronomy in 1948 from the University of Virginia.  He was awarded a doctorate of philosophy in astronomy in 1954 by the University of Michigan.

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After serving as a senior astronomer for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Dr. Henize became a professor in Northwestern University’s Department of Astronomy where he conducted research on planetary nebulae, peculiar emission-line stars, S-stars and T-associations.

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In 1967, Dr. Henize was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA.  He was a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 15 mission and the Skylab 2, 3, and 4 missions.  As a mission specialist on the Spacelab-2 mission, he flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in July –August 1985. During his lifetime, Henize spent 7 days, 22 hours, and 45 minutes in space. He was awarded the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1974.  He died of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema in 1993, during a NASA-sponsored Mt. Everest expedition.