Dr. Henry Helmken

Helmken Helmken, Dr. Henry Frederick son of Henry and Caroline Helmken, was born on August 7, 1935 in New York City. He passed away on April 12, 2011 in Delray Beach, Florida. He was a graduate of Cardinal Hayes High School in New York, and Manhattan College, where he received a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics. Doctorate in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Worked at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Mass. He traveled the world making high altitude balloon measurements of cosmic gamma rays. Later he worked at MIT Lincoln Laboratory until he moved to Florida in 1986, maintaining a working relationship with MIT until 2010. Also obtained a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University, and in 1986 became a professor of Electrical Engineering at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Until being diagnosed with leukemia in December of 2010, he maintained an intense professional career of research and consulting in addition to teaching. In the last fifteen years of his life, he was instrumental in helping establish Roseaire Retreat, where many ordinary people have attended spiritual conferences and retreats. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Brendan Catholic Church, 8725 SW 32 St. at 11:30 am on Saturday, April 16. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to Roseaire Retreat.