Thomas Arthur “Tom” Henderson, born and raised in the Mount Lebanon sector of the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area, was appointed to West Point by Congressman James G. Fulton, who represented the 27th District of Pennsylvania. Tom was one of four children of Arthur and Madaline Henderson. Arthur served in Europe as an Army NCO during World War II. Typical of many veterans, he didn’t talk much about his service but late in his life related to Tom his unit’s role in the unforgettable experience of liberating concentration camps. After the war Arthur worked on the Pittsburgh Railroad. In his desire to provide a better life for his family he attended Carnegie Mellon University at night for over 12 years to earn a degree. That led to a job with the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, DC, to which he commuted by car every week. Tom inherited his father’s work ethic, his perseverance, his desire for learning and his faith.
Tom attended South Hills Catholic High School where he excelled in academics and starred on the football and wrestling teams. His dream was to play football for Notre Dame. While he was accepted to Notre Dame, the fiscal realities for his middle-class family made the appointment to West Point difficult to pass up.
The Academy was a good fit for Tom. He had the aptitude and the temperament to handle all that was demanded of him. He excelled in academics and was perpetually on the Dean’s List. However, he discovered that intercollegiate sports were much more competitive than he expected. Nevertheless, Tom was a member of the corps squad wrestling team for four grueling years. Teammates remember that while Tom never started in a varsity match his contributions and commitment to the team were substantial and spoke volumes about his character. Tom was the superb player-coach and linebacker for his very successful company intramural football team. Although he was serious and quiet, Tom was friendly with a witty sense of humor. He routinely attended daily Mass.
Upon graduation Tom began a very successful career as an engineer. After Airborne, Ranger, and Engineer basic courses Tom served as a construction platoon leader and staff officer in the 18th Engineer Brigade in Vietnam; he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
Over the next twenty-plus years Tom experienced an array of challenging assignments that ranged from teaching in the Defense Mapping School and geodetic surveying with the Air Force to tactical engineer assignments in Germany and the U.S. His duties managing family housing and facilities lead to his eventual selection as the Director of Public Works and Construction for NATO Headquarters in Turkey and as the Facilities Planner for the Pacific Command in Hawaii.
A constant thread in Tom’s life was an eagerness to learn. He earned his first master’s degree in engineering administration and management from George Washington University while teaching full time at the Defense Mapping School. He completed the Army and the Air Command and Staff courses and attended Armed Forces Staff College. He completed Turkish language and automation courses and was the Professor of Military Science at New York Polytechnic University. When he returned to Pittsburgh upon retirement from military life in 1992 and found himself over-qualified for the engineering job market there, he followed his heart and pursued his second master’s degree, this time in education, at Duquesne University. Subsequently, Tom finished his working life as a middle school math teacher for twelve years. He was recognized as one of the top 60 teachers from all such schools nationwide for excellence in teaching. He was the head coach for Mathcounts, inspiring and leading his students to achieve unprecedented success and to earn a display case full of awards.
His many successes were due to his personable character which also made him a wonderful husband, loving and inspiring father and trusted friend. He was disciplined and devout and at the same time humble, cheerful and kind. Tom met his wife Frances when she was working for the Atomic Energy Commission and had just returned from a conference in Geneva. Tom had orders for Germany and contemplated getting out of the Army. She convinced him to “take the Germany assignment because Europe is exciting!” He did as she wished. They married in September 1973 and were off on their 46-year adventure to Europe and beyond. They were blessed with two daughters: Christina and Elizabeth, both born in Germany; and two sons, Anthony born in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Jonathan born in New York City. Tom and Fran were blessed with four grandchildren: Kendall, Rowan, Michael and Jacob.
In 2015 Tom began experiencing serious signs of memory loss. Determined to live at home as long as possible, he took advantage of medications and other therapies which delayed his moving to a specialized care facility until September 2018. Tom passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in November 2019.
At his memorial service Christina said all that we need to know about her father:
“My dad left a lasting impression on my life. As his first born, I have always strived for the high ideals he also aimed to reach. He had such a strong moral character that never wavered due to circumstances. He never cared to please the crowd or tried to get ahead at the expense of others. He brought us up in the Church and cultivated in us the love of God and the love of others. He strongly believed and supported all pro-life efforts. His Catholic faith was evident in his everyday life. My dad modeled an unwavering love for my mom, who also adored him. I could have never asked for a better father. He was blessed and he blessed us in so many ways.”
—Classmate and family