Wellington Smith Henderson Jr. ’53

Hendy was born in San Francisco, Calif., and attended the Thacher School before coming to Princeton, where he joined Quadrangle Club and majored in chemical engineering. After graduation he served three years as a fire control, gunnery, and antisubmarine officer in the Navy on a destroyer named the Samuel N. Moore in the Pacific Fleet. Hendy then earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from MIT and went to work for Stauffer Chemical on the West Coast.

He changed careers in 1965, joining his father’s investment firm, and later starting his own firm: Henderson Investment Management. In the 1980s Hendy took up running and ran in the Boston and New York marathons. Marathons led to ultra runs, and Hendy completed the 100-mile Western States Endurance run three times. His best finish time was just under 28 hours when he was 60 years old.

Hendy died Sept. 26, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Patty Henderson; two sons; two daughters; 13 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.