Dr. Emerson O. Henke

Dr. Emerson O. Henke February 20, 1916 – October 29, 2007 Dr. Emerson O. “Henk” Henke died October 29, 2007 of pneumonia, after having suffered a brain stem stroke February 6, 1996. The funeral will be Thursday, November 1, at 1:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 1100 Austin Ave with the Rev. Dr. Johnson, officiating. Burial will follow at Waco Memorial Park. A visitation will be held at Wilkirson Hatch Bailey Funeral Home on Bosque Blvd Wednesday, October 31, from 6 to 8 pm. The family will receive guests at a reception at Ridgewood Country Club from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1. Until his retirement in mid-1991, Dr. Henke was the J.E. Bush Distinguished Professor of Accounting at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. He served as Dean of the Hankamer School from 1967 to 1977; prior to his deanship, Dr. Henke was Professor of Accounting and Chairman of the Accounting Department from 1948 to 1967. He was a visiting professor at the University of Miami in 1946 and at the University of Texas at Austin in 1965-66. In 1971-72 he was named the AICPA Distinguished Visiting Professor at Denver University. Born February 20, 1916 on a farm near Stendal, Indiana, Emerson attended Evansville College, graduating in 1937 with a BS in Accounting. He earned an MS in Accounting from Indiana University in 1939 and his DBA from the same school in 1953. He has authored fourteen books, including a ground-breaking 1965 study of accounting for non-profit organizations which formed the basis for two textbooks on non-profit accounting that remained in print for a total of more than twenty-five years. Dr. Henke earned a number of awards. In 1965 he was elected most popular professor in the business school, a designation he cherished till his death. In 1980 he was named Most Outstanding Professor at Baylor University, and in 1990 he was selected as Master Teacher. In 1978 he received the University of Evansville Alumni Certificate of Excellence, and in l983 was named to the University of Evansville Athletic Hall of Fame for his service as a basketball player and coach. He was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of CPA’s, American Accounting Association, Southwestern Business Alumni Association, Beta Alpha Psi, and Beta Gamma Sigma. In his spare time, Emerson served as Deacon and Elder at First Presbyterian Church. His passion, however, was fishing which he pursued at every opportunity, preferably with his grandson, Blake, who loved every minute spent with his granddad. Henk was also an avid deer hunter, serving as a teacher of hunting skills to his grandson. The lessons Blake learned from his grandfather will be passed on to Henk’s great grandsons. Henk’s beloved wife of sixty-four years, Beatrice Henke, died July 9, 2003. He is survived by two children, Michael John Henke of Alexandria, Virginia, and Pamela Henke Bailes of Cave Creek, Arizona, four grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. A loving husband, father, grandfather, and teacher, Henk will be missed by many. Pallbearers are Mike Henke, Mike Puryear, Joe Stone and Blake Henke. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Emerson O. Henke Endowed Chair of Accountancy at Baylor University. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey