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Conrad Henderson: Family of Beloved SEHS Coach Offers Thanks for Donations in His Memory

BY SARAH STEPHENS

ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS

The family of Coach Conrad Henderson, the first football coach at Stanhope Elmore High School, has penned a letter of thanks to the community and to all those who loved “Coach.”

Henderson died in August 2019 at the age of 89 after a vehicle accident. His funeral was held in the gymnasium of the school he loved and served most of his life.

The letter reads:

“The family of Coach Conrad Henderson would like to thank each and every person that donated to Stanhope Elmore High School after his death. We would also like to thank Principal Ewell Fuller, Ms. Charley Stinchcomb, and everyone at the school for accepting and keeping up with the donations and for being instrumental in getting the monument and flagpole erected. He would be extremely proud of how it turned out.  No one has ever or ever will love his school and community any more than he did. Thank you again for your love and generosity.”

Sincerely,

Michele Horn,

Mike and Deborah Henderson

Since Coach Henderson’s passing, the money from donations has been used for multiple areas of the school as a way to remember the beloved man. There are memorial benches, plaques, and the most recent memorial is the 60-foot flagpole that was officially dedicated in December of last year. It is appropriately located at the entrance to Foshee-Henderson football stadium at the school.

Aside from his years of coaching at SEHS when it was established in the 1960s, Henderson would also go on to serve as principal. Long after his retirement from “official” duty, he would be seen at the school often, still serving as a mentor, or a sounding board for other coaches and educators. He was a regular attendee of SEHS athletics events, and had his own spot where he usually sat for football games. He was always surrounded by other coaches at those events.

Coach Henderson’s impact will continue, and his legacy will live on for those who knew and loved him. His name will also be associated with a scholarship for a deserving athlete from SEHS each year, thanks to a $10,000 endowment made possible by the Millbrook Men’s Club. So even in the future, students who never knew Coach Henderson personally will benefit from his life.

Last year the Men’s Club presented the $10,000 check to Burton Crenshaw with the Central Alabama Community Foundation. CACF will manage the scholarship funds, allowing for a deserving SEHS graduating athlete to be presented a $1,000 scholarship each year.

Henderson was a beloved, long-time member of the Millbrook Men’s Club. He even has a camp stew pot named after him at the Club’s pavilion. Prior to his death, he was an active member and always helped out at the annual barbecues the club hosts during the year for their primary fundraisers.

All of those funds go right back into the Millbrook community through monetary gifts, such as this scholarship. The money donated by the club for the scholarship came from those barbecues. For those who loved Henderson, it makes standing in that long line to get the delicious barbecue on July 4th and Memorial Day worth it, indeed.

SEHS Principal Ewell Fuller was one of those people who valued Henderson, and he took on the task of helping to lead the charge to have the flagpole installed. Fuller said he wanted it to represent all of the qualities that made Coach Henderson so loved, including his patriotism, love of community and dedication to SEHS.