Diether H. Haenicke (May 19, 1935 – February 15, 2009) was president of

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

from 1985 to 1998, and again (as interim president) from 2006 to 2007. A large building on campus, Haenicke Hall, is named for him. In 1962, Haenicke received his doctorate, magna cum laude, from the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...

. In 1998, Haenicke stepped down from the presidency, but continued to teach foreign languages until 2004. On August 15, 2006, the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees voted to fire then-president Judith Bailey, and unanimously voted to appoint Haenicke as interim president. He served as interim president from September 2006 until July 2007, when John Dunn assumed the university presidency. In December 2008, while giving a speech, Haenicke went into

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

and sustained a

head injury A head injury is any injury that results in trauma to the skull or brain. The terms ''traumatic brain injury'' and ''head injury'' are often used interchangeably in the medical literature. Because head injuries cover such a broad scope of inju ...

. He died on February 15, 2009, in Kalamazoo, from ensuing complications.

Appearance on ''Home Improvement''

In 1995, Haenicke made a cameo appearance in one episode of the sitcom ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

'', starring

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) and Mike Baxter on the ABC/Fo ...

who is a 1976 graduate of WMU. In that episode, Haenicke played himself, and presented Allen's character, Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, with an honorary doctorate. The ''Home Improvement'' episode would prove to be prophetic, for Allen would actually later be awarded an honorary doctor of fine arts degree by WMU in 1998. However, Haenicke did not present Allen's degree this time, because he would also receive his own honorary degree during the same ceremony.

References

External links

Western Michigan University - Office of the President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haenicke, Diether 1935 births 2009 deaths Accidental deaths in Michigan German emigrants to the United States German academics Presidents of Western Michigan University Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Accidental deaths from falls Deaths from head injury 20th-century American academics