Girard B. Henderson

Girard B. Henderson (February 25, 1905 – November 16, 1983) was an American business man and philanthropist. He was a director of Avon Products and the founder of the Alexander Dawson Schools. The author Donald Porter described him as a "short, tough-talking millionaire".

Early life
Henderson is the son of Alexander Dawson Henderson, one of the co-initiators of what would become Avon Products.

He married Theodora G. Henderson. In January 1955, they entered a separation agreement working towards a divorce. They had two daughters. On June 5, 1964, Henderson married his second wife, Mary Hollingsworth (1905–1988) in Clark County, Nevada.

Career
Henderson flew a Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing biplane to transport wealthy business executives. In 1933, Henderson opened the Henderson Motor Co., a Chrysler Dodge dealership in Suffern, New York, with Kenneth Burnham. Henderson later landed a contract to truck materials for Avon from New York City to Suffern. The McConnells rewarded Henderson by selling him shares in Avon at 1 cent per share. By 1973, his share value had increased to $135 million, at which time he told Forbes he had no intention of selling.

In 1940, Henderson was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for Avon Products. He remained on the board for 35 years.

In 1950, Henderson created the Alarm Corporation in Carmel, California. The company provided underground cable service to Monterey Peninsula communities. The company had its receiving antenna site on the high ground of Pebble Beach.

In 1966, Time magazine published a story that revealed Henderson's interests in half a dozen businesses, and that he owned 1,035,410 shares of Avon stock.

Henderson owned a majority stake in a company called Underground World Homes. In 1964, he sponsored the Underground World Home exhibit at the New York World's Fair. In addition to the underground home, there was also an exhibit sponsored by Henderson called "Why Live Underground?" At the height of the Cold War and fearing nuclear war or other catastrophe, Henderson built and lived in underground homes in Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 1978, architect Jay Swayze designed and built for Henderson a large underground house in Las Vegas, that included a swimming pool and putting green surrounded by pastel murals. The property sold in 1990 for $1.3 million after Henderson died, and again in 2005 for $2 million.

In 1964, Henderson got involved in the Blue Channel Seafood Company in Port Royal, South Carolina. The company did direct mail advertising of their products, which included clam chowder and crabmeat. He acquired full ownership in 1968 from Sterling Harris, the founder and president.

Henderson created the Dawson Yacht Corporation in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a subsidiary of Alexander Dawson, Inc.

Alexander Dawson Foundation
In 1957, Henderson formed the Alexander Dawson Foundation.

In 1980, he created the Colorado Junior Republic School (CJR) on a 380 acre site near Lafayette, Colorado, as a boarding school for children who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity for an education.

Death
On November 16, 1983, Henderson died. He is buried near Beaufort, South Carolina.