IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2021 - 90

by Mel Olken and John Paserba
in memoriam
Michael Henderson
M
90
MICHAEL HENDERSON PASSED
away after a year-long courageous battle
with illness on Saturday, 22 May 2021,
in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United
States. Mike served as the editor-inchief
(EIC) of IEEE Power & Energy
Magazine from 2016 to 2020 and was on
the magazine's editorial board since its
inception in 2003, contributing to multiple
issues as a guest editor and author.
His mission was to make the magazine
accessible to a broad audience, and he
led the editorial board with that passion.
Mike was a proud native son of
significant contributions within the T&D
Committee's High-Voltage dc (HVdc)
and Flexible ac Transmission Systems
(FACTS) Subcommittee.
Mike organized and presented
Brooklyn, New York, United States.
He received two master of engineering
degrees: one in electrical power engineering
in 1977 and one in electrical
engineering (M.E.E.) in 1976-both
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In 1975, he earned a B.S. degree
in electrical engineering from the
Polytechnic Institute of New York
(now New York University), where he
served as an adjunct lecturer from 1993
through 1999. From July 1999 until he
retired in 2020, he was the director of
Regional Planning and Coordination at
ISO New England.
Previously, he worked at the New
York Power Authority (NYPA) (1983-
1999), Long Island Lighting Company
(1980-1983), and American Electric
Power (AEP) (1977-1980). Mike often
shared memories of his time at AEP,
which was a supportive and stimulating
work environment for young engiDigital
Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2021.3089748
Date of current version: 19 August 2021
ieee power & energy magazine
Michael Henderson
neers and a source of lifelong friends
and colleagues.
Mike was a registered Professional
Engineer in the state of New York. He
was a longtime contributor to the IEEE
Power & Energy Society (PES) and other
organizations, including CIGRE and
the Electric Power Research Institute.
PES was Mike's second family, where
he cultivated friendships all over the
world. Mike was involved
in numerous PES technical
activities, taking
leadership roles in the
Transmission and Distribution
(T&D), Power
System Dynamic Performance,
and Power
System Operation, Planning,
and Economics
Committees. He made
technical seminars and dozens of panels
and technical papers at IEEE and
other forums. His sessions often drew
large crowds when he chaired or spoke,
imparting his Brooklyn charm and
sense of humor. He had fun and loved
bringing fun to others. His passion for
discovering practical applications of
cutting-edge technologies (especially
FACTS and HVdc) contributed to addressing
operational challenges in the
real world of deregulated markets.
Mike was elected IEEE Fellow in 2016
with the citation, " For contributions to
the application of high-voltage dc and
flexible ac transmission systems. "
He is survived by his wife Dorita,
son Robert, and daughter Gabby. The
family asks those wishing to honor
Mike's memory to continue his commitment
to the engineering profession
by donating to the IEEE PES
Scholarship Plus Initiative. (See the
details later.)
PES was
Mike's second
family, where
he cultivated
friendships all
over the world.
A Natural
for EIC
Some 40+ years ago, a
bright-eyed recent M.E.E.
graduate was assigned as
a trainee to the Electrical
Generation Section at
AEP in New York City
that I headed, and that is
how my and Michael's
september/october 2021
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IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2021

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