Submitted by: Dan Rich

Irnee D'Haenens

Feb. 3, 1934 - Dec. 24, 2007

South Bend Tribune 1/1/2008
MISHAWAKA - Dr. Irnee D'Haenens, 73, of Malibu, CA, formerly of Mishawaka, died Monday, Dec. 24th, in his home. He was born in Mishawaka, Indiana, married Shirley Vanderbosch in 1955, and had four children, Gregory, Michelle, Therese and Mark, 19 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Irnee attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for two years and then transferred to Notre Dame and graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in physics in 1956. While working at Hughes Research Labs he was obtaining his master's at the University of Southern California. In 1963 he was awarded the Hughes Staff Doctoral Fellowship to complete his graduate studies for a Ph.D. in physics at Notre Dame. He was inducted into Sigma XI, a scientific honorary society, and received his doctorate at Notre Dame in 1966. Irnee served as adjunct professor of physics and math at California Lutheran University and Pepperdine University. Dr. D'Haenens worked in research at Hughes Lab for 33 years. During his tenure at Hughes he had more than 40 technical publications and seven patents to his credit. His most impressive feat was, however, research that led to a demonstration of the world's first laser. Dr. D'Haenens retired from Hughes Labs in 1989 after 33 years of work. He then began to enjoy his hobbies of fishing, reading, working crossword puzzles, traveling, but most of all watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren succeed!!!