Death of a Classmate - George M. Henson - 11th Co.

 George M. Henson died at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on 12 October 2014 at the age of 84. Born in​ Brooklyn, New York, George grew up in Floral Park, New York. He attended​ ​Hofstra College for two years before achieving his long-held ambition to attend​ ​the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated in June 1954 as a member of the 11th​ ​Company. Upon commissioning, he served one year on the destroyer Miller before​ ​ entering Submarine School in June of 1955 and, upon completion, successive duty​ ​ tours on two diesel-electric submarines. In 1959 he was selected for Advanced​ Nuclear Power training and, after the year of instruction, was assigned to the​ Submarine School staff for a one year tour as an instructor in the Nuclear​ ​Power Department, serving also as Head Ship Systems Branch. Commencing in 1961,​he served five successive nuclear submarine tours, lastly in command of Spadefish and then Sam Houston (Blue). In 1974 he reported to the Office of the CNO as Head of the Attack Submarine Branch of the Office of Research and Development. He was subsequently ordered to command of the submarine tender Orion in 1976 and then, in 1978, to his final tour of duty, Commanding Officer of the NROTC Unit at the Georgia Institute of Technology. After a 26-year naval career Captain Henson retired in 1980 to join the newly-established Institute​ of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), aiding in its establishment and​ development, serving in various management positions during an eight year​ ​career. Upon retirement from INPO in 1988, he accepted a position in the​ ​nuclear power department of the Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO),ultimately serving as superintendent of its Performance Assessment Section.Upon retirement from PECO in 1993, he became an independent consultant,primarily serving as coach and mentor at the Portsmouth Ohio) Gaseous Diffusion Plant during 1995 and 1996. He took up full time retirement in mid-1996, devoting time to hobbies, travel, participation in the Valley Forge Chapter of MOAA, serving as Secretary of the Class of 1954 (2003- 2013 ), and following Navy football fortunes as a season ticket holder. George was pre-deceased by his wife of 33 years, the former Mary Jane Ostrom of Olean, New York, in 2013. He deemed himself extremely fortunate to have shared his life with her, to become the stepfather of her four children, Scott, Mark, Connie,and Michael, and to take part in the lives of their seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren