Dagmar Renate "Reni" Henney's Obituary
Dagmar Renate “Reni” Henney, 92, died on September 16, 2023, at Beebe Hospital in Lewes, DE after a difficult struggle with cancer. Born on May 6, 1931, in the Spandau section of Berlin, Germany, she was the daughter of the late Georg Albert and Margot Henriette “Hanna” (Philipp) Kirchner.
Dagmar’s father was Catholic and her mother was Jewish, which made her a target of the Nazi regime. Her mother was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944.
Dagmar and her father, a scientist, went on the run; first from the Nazis and later from the invading Russian army. As a scientist, he was sought after for his involvement in the German rocket program.
As a child of Jewish descent, Dagmar was not allowed to enroll in a formal school during the war years. Her father taught her chess and mathematics at home, and at age 10, Dagmar gained admission to the Abitur High School in Hamburg, Germany, from which she would later graduate.
She frequently shared fond memories of her summers with her grandparents in Hamburg near the sea which is what ultimately drew her to Rehoboth Beach, where she purchased her own summer beach cottage in 1978. She had been a regular summer resident in Rehoboth Beach ever since while teaching in Washington, D.C., where she remained a Washingtonian for more than 65 years.
Dagmar arrived in the United States in 1951 in pursuit of a better life and a college degree at age 21. She enrolled at the University of Miami where she continued to study mathematics, taking classes in nuclear physics and advanced calculus.
At the age of 24, Dagmar graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor of science degree majoring in physics and minoring in mathematics and chemistry. She later earned a master of science degree in pure mathematics. It was during her freshman year in college that she met her future -- and only -- husband, Alan G. Henney, in a nuclear physics class.
After graduating from the University of Miami, Dagmar and her husband moved to Takoma Park, MD where they raised their only child, Alan, Jr.
She began working on her doctorate at the University of Maryland in College Park. In 1965, she became the first woman to earn her doctorate in pure mathematics in the history of the University of Maryland.
She became a tenured college mathematics professor at College Park and later accepted a position at the George Washington University where she taught classes in calculus, finite mathematics, and measure and integration. She also served as an adviser to the university's chapters of Pi Mu Epsilon, Sigma Xi, and Phi Beta Kappa.
Dagmar's accomplishments have made her the recipient of several distinguished honors, ranging from her membership in Phi Beta Kappa to her distinction as a member of both Who's Who of American Women and The World's Who's Who. Dagmar was the first female student to receive a scholarship to the University of Miami from B'nai B'rith and was also admitted into the National Association of Science Writers.
Dagmar lived the American dream and serves as a role model to other children -- especially girls -- who have had their childhoods stolen from them. She exemplifies that through perseverance, dedication, and hard work anybody with the right motivation can become an accomplished, successful, and productive member of society.
In addition to her parents, Dagmar was preceded in death by her husband, Alan G. Henney, Sr. She is survived by her son, Alan Gilbert Henney, Jr., who has been the pride and joy of her life.
Services will be held privately.
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