 This photograph of Henry W. Kendall captures the essence of the man we knew: physicist, teacher, mountaineer, diver, pilot, philanthropist, science activist, and photographer. Henry died unexpectedly on February 15, 1999 at age 72, well before his time.
Much has since been written, internationally as well as in the United States, about his accomplishments — highlighting his distinguished academic career, his Nobel Prize in physics, his founding role in the Union of Concerned Scientists, and his abiding concern over the spread of nuclear weapons. The creation of the Kendall Foundation was Henry’s and his brother John’s idea. From its beginning in 1957, he was a continuing and vibrant inspiration to its staff. He had a passionate concern for the health of the planet’s natural environment and energetically embraced the modern world’s major concerns and opportunities: nuclear weapons threats, population trends, food availability, water resources, renewable energy, climate change, and the loss of species. He persistently carried the mantle of sound science into responsible civil advocacy — at the White House, the World Bank, the United Nations, and at New England town meetings. He was engagé, as perhaps the French best understand the essence of that expression.
On the personal side where we perhaps knew him better, Henry customarily slipped into our office in sneakers and chinos with a warm smile and sparkling blue eyes. He greeted us individually in his unpretentious way and inquired after each of us respectfully. We knew that his primary agenda was to make the world a better place for generations to come. And we know, with a mixture of sadness and good fortune, that men like Henry Kendall seldom come into our lives.
— The Foundation Staff
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