Vice Chairman Joyce Henderson to be inducted into Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame

Freedom Center of Oklahoma City Vice Chairman Joyce Henderson will be inducted into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame later this year. (Photo by Powell Photography)

Two Oklahoma educators whose legacies span generations have been selected for induction into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame.

Joyce Henderson of Oklahoma City and Ray Henson of Durant will be inducted on Nov. 10 in a ceremony at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.

Henderson’s 37 years as an educator were shaped by her own experiences as a Dunjee High School student, where she was taught and mentored by civil rights icon Clara Luper. She was featured in the Children of Civil Rights documentary film along with others who participated in the sit-in movement in Oklahoma City. Henderson started her career at Dunjee as a social studies teacher. She later was a principal at several Oklahoma City high schools: Emerson, Classen (original), Northeast, Star Spencer and Classen School of Advanced Studies. For the last decade of her career, she served on the superintendent’s cabinet as executive director of school and community services.

Henderson currently serves on the board of trustees for the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, Clara Luper Legacy Committee, OKC Clara Luper Plaza Committee and Freedom Center of Oklahoma City/Clara Luper Civil Rights Center.

Henson’s 53-year education career began as a science teacher in Kinta. He later became a basketball coach and high school principal in Glenpool. In 1971, he took the helm at Talihina Public Schools as superintendent. For 35 years, he sought educational innovations that led to dramatic increases in student learning opportunities and achievement in Talihina, and he garnered support that led to upgraded district facilities, which now bear his name.

Henson became a state and national champion and expert on the importance of Impact Aid, which supports districts with large amounts of federal and tribal lands. He served as president of the Oklahoma Association Serving Impacted Schools, assisting schools throughout the state with training to acquire Impact Aid and continued that work for a dozen years after retiring as Talihina superintendent. He helped create a national organization to ensure Impact Aid remained an important and stable source of funding for schools in Oklahoma and nationwide.

Source: Educators selected for Hall of Fame via The Journal Record