01/08/2001
Jack
Hennessen treasures influence of Tusculum
 |
|
|
In the fall of 1941 John A. "Jack" Hennessen knew little of what life had in store for him. He was a freshman arriving at Tusculum College from Long Island, N.Y., after graduating from Sewanhaka High School, and the United States was just a few short months from entering World War II. As he has said, "I could not have been better prepared for life had I attended any other college. I was able to go to medical school with confidence and know that my Tusculum education was second to none."
While a student at Tusculum, Jack lived in Rankin Hall. He returned to his old dorm room during Homecoming 1999 and was flooded with memories. "I was most overcome with the memory of being in my room when I heard that Pearl Harbor had been attacked." Hennessen would see his classmates begin to leave, and in the spring of 1944 he left Tusculum to enroll in New York Medical College. He was awarded his degree from Tusculum in 1946.
Following medical school, where he specialized in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Hennessen joined the Air Force and served in a variety of positions until his retirement in 1970. His military posts and positions included Maxwell Air Force Base, Clark Air Force Base (Philippines), Walter Reed Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base, a post in Wiesbaden, Germany, and finally Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where he served as commander of the U.S. Air Force Medical Center. In 1970 he was appointed Chief Flight Surgeon by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force.
After retiring from the Air Force, Colonel Hennessen went into private practice. He also served as medical director to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove, Illinois and as a consultant to Alexian Brothers Health Management System consisting of four hospitals and two life-care facilities. Dr. Hennessen retired in 1991.
 |
| While a junior at Tusculum in 1944, Jack Hennessen (seated at center of photo) was president of his class. Standing is Bob Brown, vice president. Seated are Sara Ann Lippard, secretary, and Nancy Cowles, treasurer. |
In 1948, Hennessen married Yolanda Cacciatore. They were high school classmates but did not become romantically involved until he returned to New York for medical school. While in high school, Miss Cacciatore received several scholarships to attend The Curtis School of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Hart School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, and finally The Manhattan School of Music in New York. During this time she was studying to be an opera singer with Frederich Schorr, a world-renowned Wagnarian baritone who sang at the Metropolitan Opera House for many years.
Realizing the impact that Tusculum College had on their lives, Jack and Yolanda Hennessen felt it fitting to offer the same opportunity that he received to future generations of Tusculum College students. With this in mind, and after visiting Tusculum for the first time in many years during Homecoming 1999, they decided that the time was right to express their appreciation to Tusculum.
In the fall of 1999 they created the John A. and Yolanda Hennessen Endowed Scholarship Fund. They established the scholarship with a gift to the college and have made a generous two-life estate commitment that will benefit many future generations of Tusculum students. By establishing the scholarship today, they are able to realize the impact that they are having on deserving students.
The scholarship fund created by the Hennessens will provide assistance to the best qualified students academically, but should not exclude students with good academic potential. Recipients will major in the sciences with preference given to pre-medical students.
Jack and Yola Hennessen reside at Alexian Village at Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Until recently they have split their time between Signal Mountain and Titusville, Florida.
If you are interested in information on how to create an endowed scholarship at Tusculum College please contact Frank Wheeler at (800) 729-0256 ext. 303, or fwheeler@tusculum.edu.