John Henn ’55

“Jack” Henn was born in Philadelphia Sept. 7, 1933, and died peacefully in his sleep Jan. 29, 2014, in Newtown Square, Pa.

After graduating from Upper Darby High School, Jack majored in chemical engineering at Princeton. He joined Tiger Inn, where he roomed with Rich Thompson, Dick A. Frye, Dick Emery, Beck Fisher, and Charlie Bray. Jack captained the football team and was a Chapel deacon and benevolence-offering chairman.

After earning an MBA at Harvard Business School, Jack began a career in which he enjoyed the excitement of building businesses. This enjoyment in nurturing growth probably explains why Jack, as captain of our football team, was dubbed “Mother” by an irreverent locker room.

Nurturing is what mothers do, and Jack by his nature was one of the best at it — whether growing a business or leading a team. Quiet confidence reflecting his strong Christian faith was his hallmark. Others looked up to him, and he didn’t disappoint — an example being his work with classmate Jim Macaleer’s Shared Medical Systems, a startup that became a world leader in hospital-computer systems.

The beloved husband of Carol Heacock, Jack, a devoted father, also leaves three children, two stepchildren, and seven grandchildren. His first wife, Eleanor Shute, predeceased him.