In Memoriam
Donald Rafael Henderson, MD, MPH
Donald R. Henderson, MD, MPH was the third of four children born to William Edward Henderson, Sr. and Bernice Johnson Henderson. After a childhood friend died of cancer at the age of 8, young Donald decided that he would grow up to be a doctor and find a cure for the dreaded disease. That spirit was amplified after his grandfather died and young Donald recognized that he was worthy of better medical care than he had received.
Dr. Henderson was born January 15, 1946 in Jacksonville, Florida. His family was tight-knit and they spent much of their time attending New Bethel Baptist Church where Donald was baptized. It was in that setting that Donald’ s values were shaped and his family found support and strength.
Donald had a ton of youthful charisma, with a natural, effortless, magnetic personality that was nurtured by his mother, grandmother, and big sister Carolyn. He loved classic Motown tunes including Marvin Gaye’ s“ What’ s Goin’ On,” anything by Smokey Robinson, and the classic gospel of“ Amazing Grace”. Naturally gifted, he was a member of the Matthew W. Gilbert High School marching band.
While in the 10th grade, his intelligence and academic test scores permitted him early entrance into college. But his mother insisted that he finish school. Upon graduation, he earned an undergraduate degree at Howard University followed by medical training at the University of Florida. He completed his internship at Harvard University, a residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Master’ s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a gastroenterology fellowship at the UCLA School of Medicine.
Dr. Henderson was a gastroenterologist who practiced medicine for forty years in Los Angeles. He took pride in the opportunities afforded by his stature as an integral member of the local medical community. He had professional access to world class medicine and care, and he made those resources available to his patients.
As an African American male, he recognized the disparity in the numbers of black physicians and his community’ s lack of access to quality care. These inequities triggered his efforts to ensure that black men in particular were well cared for to the extent that he could provide assistance.
He was an avid golfer and was passionate about a variety of subjects including geography and photography. His family and friends will mis his intellectual stimulation, as well as his openness, candor, and dependability. He had a well-developed sense of humor that he often used to diffuse tough situations. He laughed a lot.
Dr. Henderson enjoyed a full life as a father and husband, relative, and devoted friend. He was kind and generous, as evidenced by his converting his pool house into a place where a family friend dying of AIDS could spend his last days.
He will be sorely missed by his wife Monica and his children, leaving them precious memories to contemplate for a lifetime. A memorial fund in his honor has been established at Charles R. Drew University in support of the medical school.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 26