Carl Wm. Henn Jr.

Carl Wm. Henn, Jr., communications and arts worker, died Friday, January 15, at age 99. His 1951 marriage to Polly Lou Sharp, who survives, resulted in a loving union and a large family. A native of Evansville, he was the firstborn of 12 children to Carl Sr. and Valeda (Mueller) Henn. In 1942 he entered U.S. Army service, becoming a stevedore with the 396th Port Battalion. He served in the Mediterranean on the coasts of Africa and Sicily, and then he was transferred to the 115th Army Ground Forces Band to serve as a musician for the remainder of the conflict in Europe. Following discharge in late 1945, he returned to a new home town, Indianapolis, to which his family had moved in 1943. At Butler University he earned a journalism degree, which led to 17 years of employment with an afternoon newspaper, the Indianapolis Times; after it ceased publication in late 1965, he joined Eli Lilly and Company as a media and public relations specialist. In late 1969 he became communications and public relations manager for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce; during those years, he also provided similar services to Marian College, Catholic Social Services, Midwest Nursing Alliance and Noble of Indiana. After his retirement from the Chamber in 1987, he served for three years in the same capacity for the Urban Parish Cooperative, a group of center-city Catholic churches. Concurrently, from 1974 and up until his final year, he served in various roles (manager, producer, board member and director emeritus) for the city’s community symphony, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis. Throughout his career, Mr. Henn provided counsel to many organizations -- serving as president of the Indianapolis Newspaper Guild, Catholic Social Services, Indiana Orchestra Consortium, Butler Alumni Association and Indianapolis Public Relations Society, which honored him with the title of Indy PR Legend; and, in Board of Director posts for the Indianapolis Symphonic Band, Indianapolis Brass Choir, Travel Indiana, Indianapolis Tuberculosis Association, Indianapolis Press Club and Mid-North Shepherd’s Center. He was a discussion leader for the Great Books program, food pantry volunteer for the St. Vincent DePaul Society, and long-time narrator of books on tape for benefit of the blind and physically impaired. Honors included a Certificate of Merit from the Library of Congress and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar and the Jefferson Award for community service. At his church he was a choir singer and served as cantor, was a fund-raiser, Parish Council secretary, co-founder of the annual French Market Festival, and author of the book, Fifty Years at St. Joan of Arc. His choral alliances included the Shepherd’s Center Singers and, as part of the Philharmonic, the Symphonic Praise Choir. As members of American Field Service, he and his wife were resident hosts for foreign exchange students and for adults coming from abroad to receive training at the IUPUI School of Social Work. One of the students who lived with them became a lifelong honorary family member: Dora Zavaleta-Przybylek, of Elmsford, N.Y. Besides his loving wife, Polly, Mr. Henn is survived by their nine children: Gretchen, Elisabeth (Will Carlson), Amy (Steve Ball), Ellen, Carl III, Tess (Maurizio Mondello), Martha (Ledger Heavilon), Laura and Merry (Bruce MacDonald); 19 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and brothers James, Eugene (Helene), Anthony, Vincent (Connie) and Robert (Karen). The calling will be at Leppert Mortuary in Nora on Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 3 to 7 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at St. Joan of Arc on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 10:30 a.m., with a capacity of 250 following social-distancing practices; it will also be live-streamed at https://sjoa.org/. Memorial contributions can be made to St. Joan of Arc Church or the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis.