Henning Rasmussen, 70, an emeritus professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics, died suddenly from a heart attack on Aug. 11 while visiting family members in New Jersey.
Born in Denmark, Rasmussen came to Western for his undergraduate education, graduating from Engineering in 1963. He then switched to mathematics, and took a master’s degree in 1965.
Henning Rasmussen
After taking his doctorate in Australia in 1969, he held a number of research positions in Australia, England and Denmark, before returning to Western in 1974 as an assistant professor in Applied Mathematics. He was promoted in 1977 and 1982.
As well as an active research career, Rasmussen was chair of his department from 1992-97, and served the university in many roles, including as a member of the pension board from 1989-95. He had 30 years of service at Western when he retired in 2004.
After his retirement, he continued to lead an active academic life, teaching courses in universities in Korea and China, and continuing to supervise graduate students at Western.
He is survived by his wife, two children and three grandchildren. His funeral was held in New Jersey and a memorial gathering will be held in the fall.