Henderson dead at age 67

Texan Henderson was journalism advocate

Obituary reprinted with permission of the Austin American-Statesman

Jeff Henderson was a student's teacher.

Friends and colleagues of the long-serving journalism professor at Texas State University-San Marcos said he wasn't one to lecture pedantically. Rather, his style made students feel as if he were just sharing knowledge.

Henderson died in June after being hospitalized for a heart illness. He was 67.

"He instilled a love of newspapers in his students," said San Marcos City Council Member Kim Porterfield, who was a student of Henderson's in the 1980s. "He was a great professor. He was very interested in his students and encouraged us to really reach in our writing."

Henderson was also an adviser for the University Star, Texas State's student newspaper.

Porterfield said he is one of the reasons that she can't start her day without reading a newspaper.

Henderson and his wife, Sharon, were married for 44 years and had two daughters, Laura Henderson Humphries and Tiffany Henderson, and two grandchildren. His wife said that Henderson was "great fun" and that they enjoyed traveling across the country, both for fun and for her husband's research.

"He had a great sense of humor," she said.

Jeff Henderson was born in Texon, in West Texas, and studied at Sul Ross State University, which friend Don Anders described as "the other love of his life."

A professional writer for more than 40 years, Henderson worked at a number of news outlets, including the Odessa American, the San Angelo Standard-Times, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and several television stations.

Anders said Henderson had heart problems for many years but took them in stride.

"He'd take whatever life gave him and made the best of it," Anders said. "Jeff was a true journalist in the closest sense of the term. ... It was about sharing your thoughts on an event with the world."

Sharon Henderson said that her husband was proud of a Western novel he had written, "Marshal of Broken Pick," which was published in January. "He was so excited he had actually published a book and could hold it in his hands," she said. "It was a labor of love."

Henderson worked at Texas State for 29 years. While there, he was named a professor emeritus, and a Texas Intercollegiate Press Association scholarship was created in his honor. He served as the head of the association for more than 20 years and was one of the group's first Hall of Fame inductees.

A funeral for Henderson will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the First Christian Church in San Marcos.

Henderson also "cared about us outside of the classroom," said Mark Hendricks, a Texas State spokesman who was a student of Henderson's in the late 1970s.

Humphries said in a statement that her father would have a special message for his former students:

"Know that if you are one of his 'kids,' he's counting on you to be a part of the 'what's next' in the world of Journalism."

Patrick George, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF; pgeorge@statesman.com; 445-3851

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Editor's Note: Services for Jeff Henderson were held June 17, at First Christian Church in San Marcos. People may address cards to his wife off 44 years, Sharon Henderson at P.O. Box 892, San Marcos, TX 78667. Memorial contributions may be made In lieu of flowers, to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 15186, Austin, TX 78761-5186 or Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Jeff Henderson Scholarship for Journalism Excellence TIPA Central Office: Fred Stewart, Executive Director c/o Texas A&M-Commerce, Box 4104, 2600 S. Neal, Commerce, TX 75429