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Who Was Porter Henderson?

Portrait of Porter Henderson Porter Wyatt Henderson Sr. only completed the eighth grade, but he worked a lifetime to ensure higher education for future generations of West Texas youth.

A West Texas native born in 1901, Henderson eventually moved to San Angelo in 1936 to manage the H.G. Whitaker Implement & Seed Store. He would later purchase and build that business into the Porter Henderson Implement Company which still thrives today as South Plains Implement.

But for the ASU community, it was Henderson’s untiring work as a member of the Board of Trustees for San Angelo College for which he is best remembered. In the spring of 1945, the first Board of Trustees for the college was chosen for a six-year term. At the first regular meeting of the board, Henderson was elected president - a position he held for almost 20 years until his death on Dec. 20, 1964. Henderson worked diligently to have San Angelo College changed to a four-year state-supported university - a change that took place less than a year after his death.

Joe Henderson, a graduate of San Angelo College, said of his father, “Dad devoted a large amount of time to his work on the college board. He was always interested in seeing the college grow. During his tenure on the board, he seemed to stress developing the students’ moral qualities and character just as much as he emphasized the importance of giving them a quality education.”

Our Mission Statement

The mission of the Porter Henderson Library is to provide the Angelo State University community with access to information in all formats. In consultation with the university community, the library builds and maintains collections and services to meet the university’s curriculum and research needs. The library does this by acquiring and organizing resources, providing direct as well as mediated access to information, participating in cooperative programs with other libraries, and teaching users to locate, obtain, and evaluate information. The library works with the university administration and faculty in the development of information policy for the campus. As a service unit within a regional, state-supported university, the library offers the surrounding community access to needed informational resources and services.

Approved by the University Library Committee: Nov. 12, 1999

Contact Us

Library
325-942-2222
Fax: 325-942-2198
ASU Station #11013, San Angelo, TX 76909