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THE PANTHER 3E CLARK COLLEGE JANUARY 24, 1974 Henderson Cited As Dynamic Leader President Vivian W. Henderson By FANNIE FLONO “What I appreciate most about him is that he en courages intellectual fer ment, promotes dialogue, and stimulates adventu rous action within the aca demic community over which he presides, ’’ said Dr. Robert Myers, assis tant professor of Religion and Philosophy at Clark Col lege for seven years. For eight years as Clark’s president, Dr. Vivian W. Henderson has been much more than a “stimulator of adventurous action: ’ ’ He has been the catalyst for pro gressive change. Under his leadership, Clark has emer ged one of the leading small Black colleges in the nation pioneering in cirricular and administrative reform. A graduate of the Univer sity of Iowa, Dr. Henderson is a nationally recognized economist who conducted pio neer studies of the Black labor market in the 1950’s. Prior to his appointment as Clark’s president, Dr. Henderson held positions as administrator, professor and chairman of the depart ment of economics at Fisk University. Former President Lyn don B. Johnson appointed Dr. Henderson to several task forces and commiss ions. He prepared papers for the 1966 and 1967 White House Conferences on Ci vil Rights and was named to the Commission on Rural Poverty in 1967 -1968. Henderson has written recent articles on higher education and race relations. He was a speaker at the In ternational Conference on the “Role of Cooperative and Public Economies in Democratic Societies” held in Israel. During his presidency, Dr. Henderson has made many improvements at Clark. Ac cording to Dean of Students, C.D. Gillespie, these im provements include: 1. Increased professional personnel staff 2. Educational Options In creased 3. Faculty and staff sa laries increased apprecia bly 4. Number of doctorates increased 5. Increased involvement in. community affairs by faculty and staff 6. Men of Clark formed 7. McPheeters - Dennis Building completed 8. Students given increas ed opportunities in insti tutional goverance 9. Successful fund-raising campaign laucnhed Dr. Pearlie C. Dove, who has been with Clark since 1949, says Dr. Henderson has demonstrated astute lead ership in keeping the col lege “afloat” during some very crucial years. “Faced with the daily frustrations experienced in guiding the institution, an individual without Dr. Hen derson’s tenacity and dedi cation would have given up long ago,” Dr. Dove said. “However, the institut ion has not only been able to maintain its stability, but enriched the curricu lum, increased options and enrollment, and continues to attract highly qualified staff.” In addition to being Clark’s president, Dr. Hen derson has served in many capacities for various or ganizations and community projects. presently ' Dr. Hender son serves on the Board of Trustees of the Ford Foun dation. He is also a direc tor of the Citizens and Sou thern Bank, the National Ur ban Coalition, the Teachers’ Insurance and Annuity As sociation of America (TIAA), and tne Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Other director ships include the National Continued on Back Page Clark’s First Lady Is A "Gem” Anna Powell Henderson, President Vivian Hender son’s wife for almost 25 years, is an amiable con trast to the time-worn adage of “The woman behind the man.” Mrs. Henderson, whose poised manner reflects her inner calmn, is a gem whose capsulized philosophy of life is hard work and honesty. The articulate housewife warmly relates how she met Dr. Henderson while attend ing Prairie View College at Prairie , View, Texas. “He (Henderson) was my teacher and it was his first teaching job.” “I worked as a student aide at the school cafete ria as a cashier. Natural ly, he had to come by every day to pay for his meals,” she said. However, when news of the romance spread, she was discharged from the col lege. Though Mrs. Henderson had ambitions of her own (“I always thought I wanted to be an R. N. I don’t know why or how I changed my mind.” she concentrated her energies on her marriage By BRENDA L. CAMP ‘ and her growing family. The Vi vianHenderson’s have four children, Wyo- nella, 20, a junior at Fisk Uiversity; Dwight, 18, a freshman at Clark; David, 17, a senior at Washington High; and Kimberly, 10, a fifth-grader at Magaret Mitchell School. According to Mrs. Hen derson, life with the Pre sident is “very nice.” “We have a very nice fa mily. Although the children have missed his presence at times, they’re none the worse for it.” “We are a happy family. We sort of do our thing, and he does what he’s happy at doing. When we are to gether, we make the best of it.” The Hendersons moved to Atlanta in 1965. Mrs. Henderson likes it here. “Atlanta has the ills of all large cities, but it also has its good aspects. It af fords things I enjoy doing,” she said. Mrs. Henderson, the gra cious lady that she finds time to be civicly involv ed. To her credit, she has served on the Atlanta Mayor’s Youth Council un der Sam Massell, as a past board member for the YWCA, as board member of the United Methodist Chil dren’s Home at Decatur, as a board member the At lanta Metro Girl’s Club. The list goes on and on. Concerning all her acti vities, Mrs. Henderson says “I just try to do a job.” She is a member of the Warren Memorial United Methodist Church. Mrs. Henderson was born in Bryan, Texas and atten ded public schools there. She was an only child and was orphaned when she was four years old. An aunt, who still lives in Bryan, reared her. Her leisure time, though scarce, includes golf and bridge. “I like golf. I used to play quite regularly until he (Dr. Henderson) got too busy to play.” “I do enjoy bridge. I’m a bridge-fiend,” she said, laughing lightly. Mrs. Anna Powell Henderson