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Peter Henning Jr. could have gone to college early in life. He was valedictorian of the high school class of 1939 in Stanwood, Wash. He won a scholarship to Washington State University. Academics seemed to be his future.

But Henning’s father preferred that the younger man run a dairy farm the father had bought. As he did in school, Henning excelled in dairy farming. In two decades, his herd grew from 40 to 500 head.

Along the way, CU physics Professor John Cumalat and others note, Henning set production records, improved breeding and nutrition practices, raised a grand-champion heifer, and became president of the Washington Milk Producers. In the latter capacity, he helped stabilize milk prices in the wake of World War II.

In 1956, at the urging of the president of Darigold Coop, Henning returned to school. He began with a correspondence course and then began driving his VW bug 50 miles twice a day to and from the University of Washington in Seattle.

When he graduated two years later, he was 37 years old, married, and the father of four. In 1959, Henning, his family and their cocker spaniel moved to Boulder.

“In the next five years, we skied, climbed mountains and generally en¬joyed the environment and atmosphere of Boulder,” Henning says. “Of course, I also did my graduate work during this time.”

At 43, he launched a second career, this one in nuclear physics. He worked for Aerojet General in California on thermonuclear fusion projects. At Aerojet, his work was the basis for three U.S. patents.

Later, Henning joined Varian Associates, where he served as research manager for the radiation division at Varian. His focus was on the emerging field of radiation oncology.

Cumalat describes Henning’s work in the research and marketing of the medical linear accelerator as “societal changing.”

In 1977, Henning left Varian and nuclear physics to return to Washington, where the manager of his farm was retiring. After selling the farm, Henning became a real-estate developer, building and managing more than 750,000 square feet of office, high-tech and warehouse space.

Henning retired from his third career in 1999 at the age of 78. He has remained connected with CU, forging a friendship with Cumalat, donating significantly through annual and planned gifts to the Physics Department, and winning CU’s George Norlin Award for distinguished lifetime achievement.

This summer, Henning joined Cumalat for a visit to the CERN site in Switzerland, which is conducting groundbreaking research on particle physics.

“It’s breathtaking,” Henning says.

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