[7] In 1932, as a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, Henneke entered a contest, sponsored by a local clothing store, for a new fight song for the school's athletic teams, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Henneke was instrumental in the founding of a radio station for the university, which commenced operations in 1948 as KWGS, its initials in honor of Tulsa oilman William G. Skelly, who supplied the funding.
[12] He was credited with upgrading TU's faculty and academic reputation: during his tenure the university established new doctoral programs, increased the proportion of faculty with doctorates, started new publications including Petroleum Abstracts and the James Joyce Quarterly, developed a North Campus center for petroleum engineering research, and expanded many other facilities.
He continued to write and teach extensively, including numerous articles, a weekly column in the Tulsa Tribune, and a radio lecture series on KWGS.
[4][5] In 1990 he published a biography of 19th century actress and theatrical manager Laura Keene, best known for her production of the play Our American Cousin, which Abraham Lincoln was watching on the evening of his assassination at Ford's Theatre.
[4] Also in 2004, his 90th birthday was honored with a proclamation by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry naming it "Dr. Ben Graf Henneke Day".