Jerry Windsor Henderson

Jerry Windsor Henderson, Georgia son and adopted son of New York, died Saturday, April 9th, 2022 in his home state of Georgia. Born in 1939 as the oldest of four children and to a father who served in WWII, the responsibilities of assisting his Mom and caring for his siblings fell on him. His sense of maturity and leadership led to his 1st job as a porter at the Wheat Street Baptist Church, where Reverend William Holmes Borders took a keen interest in Jerry, seeing in him the potential of one day filling his shoes. Although he eschewed his perceived talent for a man of the cloth, he felt he could use his skills to entertain others. Jerry left Wheat Street Baptist Church and Morehouse College after a few semesters, making his way to New York City, where he pursued a career in singing and acting. As a day job he started an unintended career at the New York Public Library. Singing nights at Improvs and Dinner venues he warmed audiences for Jazz musicians such as Jimmy Rushing. Jimmy himself observed that whenever Jerry sang, “folks put their forks down and there wasn’t a clink”. Meanwhile his natural curiosity, intellect, and work ethic proved a great fit for the flagship library at 42nd and 5th avenue, where he put forth forty-two years. His sense of equity, deep compassion, and calling for service led to him becoming an unlikely labor representative for a union who felt betrayed by their current leadership of District Council 37 (one of the nation's largest employee unions), leading to an infamous standoff against Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He returned to his home state and settled in Covington, Georgia. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Kristine (nee Hengerle) Henderson; his children, Ethan Lamar Henderson, Natalie Henderson, William Douglas Henderson (son from a previous marriage), and grandchild Isabella Mako Henderson; and his siblings, Carolyn E. C. Henderson, Alice C. Henderson, and Harry Denver Henderson, Jr.