“The district of Paderborn mourns the loss of a more than deserving personality who, in his more than 27 years of activity in the district of Paderborn, laid the foundations from which we continue to benefit today,” says District Administrator Christoph Rüther. “The death of Werner Henke is a bitter loss for us. Our heartfelt condolences go to the family,” the district administrator continued.
Werner Henke was born in Rüthen in 1927. Before he was elected senior district director of the Paderborn district by the district council in 1965, he studied law in Göttingen and Münster and worked, among other things, as a personal advisor to the North Rhine-Westphalia Minister of the Interior. He held the position in the district administration until the end of 1992. “Werner Henke was reliability personified. He always appeared calm and level-headed, stood for the fulfillment of his duties, performance and efficiency and never made a fuss about himself,” Rüther said in recognition of the deceased. The district of Paderborn owes him a great debt of gratitude.
Responsible for many projects
In the more than 27 years of his activity, he has played a leading role in many projects. The construction of the airport and the expansion of the motorway and road network as well as the development of rail transport are milestones in his political work. “Together with the long-serving District Administrator Joseph Köhler, Werner Henke has shown enormous foresight and created an efficient infrastructure,” says Rüther. Henke was chairman of the supervisory board of the domestic airport throughout his tenure and in this position made a huge effort to expand the airport.
Other projects included the establishment of the Obere Lippe water association in response to the 1965 flood disaster, the construction of the Aabachtalsperre in Bad Wünnenberg, the construction of the district fire brigade headquarters in Büren-Ahden, the new construction of the vocational school center and other vocational schools, and the construction of the police building in Riemekestrasse , the restructuring of the district museum in Wewelsburg and the establishment and later expansion of the former district waste dump into the modern disposal center “Alte Schanze”, which made an independent waste management policy possible.
Important task in the municipal reorganization in 1975
Henke was given an important task with the municipal reorganization in 1975. In the course of municipal reform, the district of Paderborn was formed from the districts of Büren and Paderborn. Henke, along with District Director Hermann Kaup and Honorary District Administrator Joseph Köhler, were responsible for bringing together the administrations and people from both regions.
In total, he introduced 28 budget statutes during his tenure. Henke was also a member of numerous committees, including those of the North Rhine-Westphalia district council and the German district council, and was also involved in the Federal Association of Local Authority Associations. Numerous awards, such as the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and that of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasize the importance and appreciation that his work has experienced.
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