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Girard B. Henderson

Girard B. Henderson (February 25, 1905 – November 16, 1983) was an American business man and philanthropist. He was a director of Avon Products and the founder of the Alexander Dawson Schools. The author Donald Porter described him as a "short, tough-talking millionaire".[3]: 113 

Jerry Henderson
Born
Girard B. Henderson

February 25, 1905
Brooklyn, New York, US
DiedNovember 16, 1983
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Occupation(s)Businessman, philanthropist
TitleFounder and CEO,
Alexander Dawson Foundation
CEO, Alexander Dawson Inc.
Board member ofAvon Products
Spouses
  • Theodora G. Huntington
  • Mary Franklin
Children2
FatherAlexander D. Henderson[1][2]

Early life

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Henderson is the son of Alexander Dawson Henderson, one of the co-initiators of what would become Avon Products.[1][2]

He married Theodora G. Henderson. In January 1955, they entered a separation agreement working towards a divorce. They had two daughters.[4] On June 5, 1964, Henderson married his second wife, Mary Hollingsworth (1905–1988) in Clark County, Nevada.[5]

Career

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Henderson flew a Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing biplane to transport wealthy business executives.[6] In 1933, Henderson opened the Henderson Motor Co., a Chrysler Dodge dealership in Suffern, New York, with Kenneth Burnham. Henderson later landed a contract to truck materials for Avon from New York City to Suffern.[7] The McConnells rewarded Henderson by selling him shares in Avon at 1 cent per share. By 1973, his share value had increased to $135 million, at which time he told Forbes he had no intention of selling.[8]

In 1940, Henderson was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for Avon Products. He remained on the board for 35 years.[9]

In 1950, Henderson created the Alarm Corporation in Carmel, California. The company provided underground cable service to Monterey Peninsula communities. The company had its receiving antenna site on the high ground of Pebble Beach.[10][11]

The A. D. Henderson Foundation was founded in 1959 by Henderson and his wife, Lucy, with the mission of "creating and dveloping constructive links between the public and private sectors of society.[12]

In 1966, Time magazine published a story that revealed Henderson's interests in half a dozen businesses, and that he owned 1,035,410 shares of Avon stock.[13]

Henderson owned a majority stake in a company called Underground World Homes.[14] In 1964, he sponsored the Underground World Home exhibit at the New York World's Fair.[15] In addition to the underground home, there was also an exhibit sponsored by Henderson called "Why Live Underground?"[14][16] At the height of the Cold War and fearing nuclear war or other catastrophe, Henderson built and lived in underground homes in Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada.[17][18]

In 1978, architect Jay Swayze designed and built for Henderson a large underground house in Las Vegas, that included a swimming pool and putting green surrounded by pastel murals.[19]

Alexander Dawson Foundation

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In 1957, Henderson formed the Alexander Dawson Foundation.[20]

In 1980, he created the Colorado Junior Republic School (CJR) on a 380 acre site near Lafayette, Colorado, as a boarding school for children who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity for an education.[21]

Death

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On November 16, 1983, Henderson died.[22] He is buried near Beaufort, South Carolina.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b Bender, Marylin (November 28, 1971). "Avon: Chiming True?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  2. ^ a b Bender, Marylin (1975). At The Top. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. p. 34. ISBN 9780385010047.
  3. ^ Porter, Donald J. (2019-04-01). A Jet Powered Life: Allen E. Paulson, Aviation Entrepreneur. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-3492-0.
  4. ^ Theodora Holding Corporation v. Henderson, 257 398 (1969).
  5. ^ "Clark County Clerk's Office, Marriage Licenses". clerk.clarkcountynv.gov. 1964-06-05. Retrieved 14 Feb 2021.
  6. ^ Porter, Donald J. (2019-04-01). A Jet Powered Life: Allen E. Paulson, Aviation Entrepreneur. McFarland. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4766-3492-0.
  7. ^ Colorado's mystery millionaire by Louis Kilzer of the Denver Post, 1983.
  8. ^ "A Penny a Share". Forbes. Vol. 112, no. 1. July 1, 1973. p. 22.
  9. ^ "Annual report, 1975". Hagley Museum and Library. 1975. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  10. ^ "Carmel". The Californian. Salinas, California. 8 Aug 1952. p. 15. Retrieved Feb 14, 2021.
  11. ^ "Carmel". The Californian. Salinas, California. 4 March 1952. p. 17. Retrieved Feb 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "Early education collaborative receives $60,000 grant". Bennington Banner. Bennington, Vermont. January 31, 2003. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  13. ^ "Time 1966: Vol 87 Index". Time Magazine. 1966. p. 30.
  14. ^ a b Porter, Donald J. (2019). A jet powered life : Allen E. Paulson, aviation entrepreneur (Illustrated ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 114. ISBN 978-1476676562. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Impressive Savings Cited By Underground Homeowner". Poughkeepsie, New York: Poughkeepsie Journal. 20 Aug 1964. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  16. ^ Asimov, Isaac (16 August 1964). "Epilogue - Visit to the World's Fair of 2014". New York Times. ISBN 978-1-312-11587-3. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  17. ^ Album, "At the bottom of the fair" by Johnny Mann, 1965
  18. ^ "Underground House for Sale – Another Cold War Bunker, But With Style!". www.midcenturystyle.net. September 19, 2013. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  19. ^ Garrett, Bradley L. (2021). Bunker: What it Takes to Survive the Apocalypse. Penguin. p. 137.
  20. ^ Bauman, Jeffrey D.; Weiss, Elliott J.; Palmiter, Alan R. (2003). Corporations Law and Policy: Materials and Problems. Thomson/West. ISBN 978-0-314-25966-0.
  21. ^ Welch, Bryan (1981-11-08). "Colorado's Free Enterprise High". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  22. ^ a b "Jerod Henderson". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. 19 Nov 1983. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
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