Girard B. Henderson

Girard Brown Henderson, (February 25, 1905 - November 16, 1983), founder of the Alexander Dawson Schools, was a businessman, philanthropist, and entrepreneur.

Early life

Mr. Henderson was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Alexander D. Henderson (businessman) and Ella M. Brown. In 1927, Mr. Henderson married Theodora Gregson Huntington from Spring Valley, New York, a town five miles north of Suffern. They had two children, Theodora and Dariel. In 1935, The Alexander Dawson holding company, was incorporated and the certificate of incorporation was filed with the Secretary of State of Trenton, New Jersey. In 1940, Girard B. Henderson was elected to serve on the board of directors for Avon Products and served for 35 years.

MP-TV

In 1950, Mr. Henderson created the Monterey Peninsula Television (MP-TV) Company in Carmel, California. The company provided underground cable service to Carmel residents. The cable TV company was the second cable company in the country.

Underground Living

In 1964, Mr. Henderson pioneered underground living and sponsored the Underground Home exhibit at the New York World's Fair (1964-1965). Mr. Henderson built and lived in underground homes in Colorado and Las Vegas.

Education

In 1957, Mr. Henderson created the Alexander Dawson Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization and is dedicated to education. Mr. Henderson created the Colorado Junior Republic School, which became the Alexander Dawson School in 1980. In 1999, the Alexander Dawson Foundation built the Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The schools offer a rigorous, traditional liberal arts curriculum.

External links

* [http://www.nywf64.com/index.htm (1964/1965 New York World's Fair Website)]
* [http://www.dawsonschool.org/home Alexander Dawson School in Lafayette, Colorado]
* [http://www.alexanderdawsonschool.org Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas, Nevada]