Algo Henderson

Algo Donmyer Henderson (April 26, 1897 – October 20, 1988)^[1] was an educator, administrator, and author. He served as the president of Antioch College and is associated with their shared governance model. He was a chief planner of the State University of New York.

Early life and career

Algo Donmyer Henderson was born in 1897 in Solomon, Kansas,^[2] where his family lived on a farm.^[3] He was a second lieutenant in World War I.^[3] Henderson worked several jobs to fund his higher education, and attended five colleges.^[3] He graduated with University of Kansas law and Harvard University business degrees.^[3]

In 1936, he became the president of Antioch College, a Yellow Springs, Ohio experimental college^[3] He had been the executive vice president and acting president from 1934 until then.^[4] At 39, he was among the youngest American college presidents.^[3] He started a bronze foundry at Antioch to teach students small business management.^[3] Henderson is credited for Antioch's shared governance between faculty and administrators.^[4]

In the late 1940s, Henderson became the associate director of the commission for creating a state university in New York State, leading to the State University of New York and public community colleges.^[3] In 1947, Henderson left Antioch's presidency^[4] to serve New York State as the associate education commissioner until 1950.^[3] Upon his resignation, he joined the University of Michigan as a professor and began the first U.S. doctoral program for higher education administration.^[3]

He retired from Michigan in 1967^[3] whereupon he and his wife moved to Orinda, California when she became dean of admissions at California College of Arts and Crafts.^[5] Henderson joined the University of California, Berkeley as a research educator.^[3]

Death

Henderson died of cancer on October 20, 1998 in Kaiser Permanente at the age of 91.^[3] He was living in Orinda, California.^[3] He had written 14 books on education.^[3]

Personal life

At the time of his death, his wife was Jean Glidden.^[3] They met in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she earned her doctorate in 1967, and married in 1963.^[5] Henderson had a son, daughter, and stepdaughter.^[3]

References