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James J. "Babe" Henderson Sr.
James J. “Babe” Henderson Sr. (born January 22, 1908, Bristol, Tennessee) was an American Business and Civic leader who was the first African American Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). He received the Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Hampton Institute.

Biography
Mr. Henderson came to Durham, NC in 1932 to accept employment with Bankers Fire Insurance Company as chief bookkeeper, field auditor and later, Assistant Secretary. Although he left Bankers Fire in 1937 for a position with North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company to establish and systemize the firm's Real Estate Department, he continued to serve Bankers Fire as Assistant Secretary and member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Henderson remained a loyal employee of NC Mutual Life Insurance Company from the time of his initial employment as Chief Clerk in the Real Estate department in 1937, with later assignments including being a member of the Investment Committee, the Real Estate Committee, Manager of the Comptroller Department, Assistant Comptroller, Assistant Treasurer and Treasurer, until his retirement in 1973 as Financial Vice President.

In Business
As Chief Financial Officer for North Carolina Mutual, then America’s largest and most successful Black-owned business, Mr. Henderson utilized his financial acumen to provide leadership toward continued growth of the company. He served as a member and later Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mutual Savings and Loan Association, as Trustee of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chain Investment Corporation, and as Founder, co-organizer, president and treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Durham Business and Professional Chain.

Community Service
JJ “Babe” Henderson served for over 20 years on the Durham Housing Authority, of which 11 years were as Vice-Chairman and then Chairman in 1971 until he retired in the late 1980’s. He was honored in 1978 with the distinction of having a federally financed nine-story housing complex for senior citizens, the J.J. Henderson Housing Center, bear his name. His many community service affiliations included the Durham Human Relations Commission, the Board of Directors at the March of Dimes and the Durham Chamber of Commerce.

JJ Henderson’s leadership was leveraged as a member and officer of Boards of Directors for numerous organizations and programs, including the John Avery Boys and Girls Club, the Daisy E. Scarborough Nursery School, the National Negro Business League and the State of North Carolina Business League. He was a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. Mr. Henderson served on the Advisory Board of North Carolina Central University and Durham Business College. As a consultant and member of the federal government’s inspection teams sponsored by the US State Department’s Agency for International Development, he provided consultation and advice for development and training programs in order to make recommendations on ways developing nations can assume a greater role in the economy of West Africa.

Hampton
While serving his profession and community, Mr. Henderson performed continuous service to his alma mater, Hampton Institute (renamed Hampton University in 1983). Through the National Hampton Alumni Association, and also the Regional Hampton Alumni Association, he received the “Hamptonian of the Year” award. He was highly pleased to be one of the few alumni honored with the Hampton “Centennial Medallion” for exceptional service on behalf of the university. In 1955, JJ Henderson was elected to the Hampton Board of Trustees and served on the Board for over twenty five years. A key member of special commissions to find the 10th, 11th and 12th Presidents for the university, including Dr. William Harvey, who served from 1978-2022. Henderson retired as Chairman Emeritus after serving fifteen years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the first African American to hold that position at Hampton. His brother, Vivian Wilson Henderson, PhD, was the 18th President of Clark College in Atlanta (now Clark-Atlanta University).

JJ “Babe” Henderson Sr. was a spiritual man, one who espoused and lived the philosophy and precepts of positive thinking. It was evident through his membership and work on behalf of St. Joesph’s A.M.E. Church in Durham, where for over 20 years, he could be found singing with the Senior Choir on Sunday mornings. He was elected to the St. Joseph’s Board of Trustees and held various offices including Secretary, Treasurer, Chairman of the Finance Committee and Vice-Chairman and later Chairman of the St. Joseph’s Church Trustee Board, a position he held for 12 years.

Long after his retirement, he became aware of the threat of demolition of the original edifice of St. Joseph’s A.M.E. Church (built in 1871) because of urban renewal plans in downtown Durham. JJ "Babe" Henderson became re-energized and directed his resources of influence, time, energy and persuasion toward the preservation of the original structure leading to the buildings current function as a Community Cultural Arts Center – the Hayti Heritage Center.

Fraternity
As a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. initiated in the Alpha Gamma chapter in 1931(Virginia Union), Mr. Henderson served untiringly, and held elected offices on the chapter, regional and national levels. His impact streamlined and strengthened the fiscal health and management of the fraternity and he was instrumental in the chartering of the Beta Chi chapter on the campus of Hampton Institute. In 1974 along with his fraternity brother Mayor Thomas Bradley of Los Angeles, Henderson was awarded the Laurel Wreath, the organization’s highest honor, at the fraternity’s conclave in Las Vegas.

In October 2022, the 187-unit JJ Henderson Towers in Durham, NC was rededicated following a $32 Million, federally funded, renovation project.