Carl George Braun Sennhenn

Carl lived in Annapolis, Maryland until 1951, when he moved to Oklahoma City. In 1954, Carl moved to Norman, where he resided until his passing.

Carl received his master's from the University of Oklahoma and was a lifelong educator. As a teacher full of amazing insights, Carl Sennhenn was a hard-working and lifelong learner who expected his students to take their studies seriously as well, even as he remained delighted with their ideas and experiences. Whether they were the young students of Cross Academy, his college students, or the senior creative writers at Rose State College, he respected each of them and found delight in the ways they knew the world.

He was Faculty Editor of Pegasus, the literary magazine of Rose State from 1991 -2004. He traveled the state conducting writing workshops for honors students, high school faculty and senior citizens. And Carl had several collections of his poetry published.

Over decades as a poet, Carl captured for his readers the depth of emotion such as wonder, humor, irony, beauty and loneliness. With poetry he grasped the mundane, elevated it and transformed it into universal, human experience. With his work as a poet, Carl was named Honorary Poet Laureate of Oklahoma by Governor Frank Keating, a post which he held from 2001-2003.

In Carl's free time, he enjoyed spending time with friends and family, life, a good book, and an old movie.

Carl is preceded in death by his parents George Carl Sennhenn and Olga Henrietta (Braun) Sennhenn. Those left to cherish Carl's memory are his siblings Marline O. Elliott of Ocala, Florida and Gordon H. Sennhenn (Ann) of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; nieces Jennifer Campbell (John), Jaquelyn Campbell, Ariela Campbell; nephews Dylan Campbell, Michael Sennhenn, Yoshiah Campbell and Timon Elliott Jr.; and a host of extended relatives and friends.

A memorial service for Carl will be held Friday, August 23, 2024 at 10:00 AM at Primrose Funeral Service, 1109 North Porter Ave, Norman, OK 73071.