[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 27888-27889]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO HERBERT HENDERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. NICK J. RAHALL, II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 22, 2007

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, West Virginia recently lost an outstanding 
son, Herbert Henderson. Herb passed away last week, but today I rise to 
celebrate a life well lived and to remember with fondness the 
accomplishments of a remarkable man who, over his many years, was a 
torchbearer in the dual causes of spreading equality and ensuring 
justice.
  The unfortunate news of his passing has brought sadness to so many 
throughout West Virginia, including those who did not have the 
opportunity to meet Mr. Henderson but who have come to benefit from his 
passionate support of civil liberties.
  Herb was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Maxine Henderson. 
He graduated from Elkhorn High School in McDowell County, and from 
there he went on to attend West Virginia State College until his 
graduation in 1953. After college, Herb served two tours in the United 
States Army before becoming the

[[Page 27889]]

first African-American to attend George Washington University School of 
Law. Upon graduation from law school, he returned with his family to 
Huntington, WV, where he eventually became senior partner in the law 
firm of Henderson, Henderson, and Staples.
  From 1966 to 1986, Herb Henderson was the West Virginia State 
President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP). He went on to serve as General Counsel for the NAACP in 
1984 and again from 1989 through 1990. The mission of the NAACP is to 
ensure political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights 
of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial 
discrimination. This was a mission that Herb not only shared, but one 
that he also championed throughout his lifetime.
  For 49 years, Herb was an active member of the Ebenezer United 
Methodist Church, as well as a member of the National Council of the 
Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and Church World Service. He was a 
solid supporter of West Virginia State University (WVSU) and served as 
President of the Huntington Chapter of the WVSU Alumni Association.
  He will be greatly missed by his family, in particular his four 
daughters and 10 grandchildren, as well as, the community he served so 
faithfully over these many years. My thoughts and prayers are with the 
family of Herbert Henderson. I join with West Virginians in honoring 
his remarkable life and the legacy he left behind.

                          ____________________