Named in honor of John Hendricks (1952– ), founder of Discovery Communications, Inc., which owns and operates the Discovery Channel and the Learning Channel. Hendricks is a strong supporter of astronomy through his service on the Lowell Observatory Advisory Board, his sponsorship of astronomical documentaries broadcast on the Discovery Channel and his direct support of various astronomical projects. Hendricks founded the Discovery Channel to fill a void. He believes that to be human is to be curious about the world around us, and he tries to fill that need with informative and educational television programming. (M 26931) _ _.