William Henderson



William H. Henderson (December 21, 1922 – August 6, 2005) was a professor of philosophy at Miskatonic University and held the philosophy chair for more than 40 years.

Biography
William Henderson was born in Ipswich in 1922. He attended Miskatonic University, then went on to the U.S. Navy, honorably discharged in August 1944.

Henderson started teaching at Miskatonic University in 1947, as one of the final recruits of Professor Warren Rice, who was "desperately trying to improve" the department after World War II. He originally intended to teach psychology, but Professor Rice chose him to teach philosophy instead, placing another professor in the psychology department.

Henderson was known as one of the few professors who could break up strong-willed guest lecturers. He impressed his fellow professors and students over the decades with a professional teacher's demeanor, mixed with a strong dose of humor and wit.

Professor Henderson passed away in the early morning on August 6, 2006, at St. Mary's Hospital following a heart attack. The last of his family line, he survived his wife and children by more than twenty years. He was 83.

Daily Life
William Henderson was a bit eccentric, which typically garnered more fascination than aversion. Purportedly, Henderson had a gift for remembering odd details, such as phone numbers, for decades without ever writing them down on paper. "He would kid around, writing the number in the air, and from then on it was in his mind," once noted Gary Taylor, a professor and former head of the university's anthropology department.

Henderson was also known to be mischievous. On a trip to New York, Mr. Henderson went into a costume shop and emerged wearing a wig and beard, and tried chatting up a student professor from Barnard College while in disguise. On the same trip, Henderson decided to swim across the East River and made it, unharmed.

Professor Henderson's favorite holiday was Halloween. Every year he would hand out an enormous amount of candy to local children. He also prided himself in his elaborate display of gruesome decorations.