Donal Henahan

Donal Henahan (February 28, 1921 – August 19, 2012) was an American music critic and journalist who had lengthy associations with the Chicago Daily News and The New York Times. With the Times he won the annual Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1986; he had been a finalist in 1982.

Life and career Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Henahan initially studied at Kent State University and Ohio University, but his education was interrupted by military service during World War II. As a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945, he attained the rank of first lieutenant and was awarded the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters. After the war, he entered Northwestern University, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1948. In 1949, he entered the University of Chicago to pursue graduate studies, and from 1951 to 1958 he studied piano, singing, and classical guitar at the Chicago School of Music at Roosevelt University. He later pursued graduate studies in music at Columbia University and Yale University, ultimately earning a master's degree from the latter institution.

Henahan died, aged 91, on August 19, 2012, at his Manhattan home.