Dr. H. Wayne Hendrick

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Dr. and Mrs. H. Wayne Hendrick shared with humility and eagerness their experiences in serving with the Board of the Hendrick Academy of Honor. Through the years, they have participated in the student applicant interviews, to determine those who qualify for help to receive a scholarship to pursue their college education, based upon their overcoming adversities in life and persisting to graduate from high school. They spoke of the overwhelming stories of sacrifice and poverty many of the students had experienced. He stressed that these were young people no one else was helping. He held that through the scholarship program, these students felt "Someone is interested in me." Further, "I've been selected."

The focus of this Board consistently remains on the potential of each young person. Year-after-year the Hendricks remain in contact with the students as they pursue their degrees. They relate stories with a sense of pride of the Hendrick Scholarship recipients who have completed their college degrees. They continue to have concerns for some of those young people because of their need to find appropriate jobs in their chosen careers. They feel certain that many of the other recipients will follow in their footsteps to graduation from college.

Wayne Hendrick was born June 9, 1924 in Lovejoy, Texas, a small community north of Plano, Texas. His was a large family, with seven brothers and sisters. Their parents farmed a small cotton farm. He shared, "We lived on Poverty Hill." His mother was determined that all of her children would graduate from high school. This dream was realized. Although no one in his family had earned a college degree in the past, four of the Hendrick children earned at least a bachelor's degree. Three of the Hendricks' sons served in the military in WWII, and the youngest son served in Korea and Viet Nam. Three of them had begun college before joining the service, and upon completing their tour of duty, all pursued degrees on the G.I. Bill.

Elizabeth Hendrick was born January 1, 1924 in Lucas, a small community near Plano, Texas. Her parents had not graduated from high school. Elizabeth related that she had six cousins on her mother's side of the family, and one of them attended college. When Elizabeth graduated from high school, a friend who was already enrolled at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas encouraged her to come off to school. She decided that would be a good thing to do, and because she had admired her own first grade teacher so much, she determined to become a teacher. Upon graduation, she taught first grade, and later in her career taught first grade for many years in neighboring Richardson ISD and then became a teacher of special education.

The Hendricks knew each other in their youth while growing up in neighboring communities, but they began to date only after they enrolled at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. They met on campus, and she said that one day he asked to carry her books. He joked that she looked like she needed some help with all of those books. They married and moved to Kingsville, Texas in the Valley to teach. There their son, Steve, was born. They served in the Kingsville school district for twelve years. They returned to North Texas for Dr. Hendrick to become the second superintendent of schools in the history of Plano ISD. The sleepy farming community thirty minutes north of Dallas had a population of approximately 3600 with a school enrollment of 1175. There were three schools in the district. When Dr. Hendrick retired in 1991, the population of Plano had grown to more than 129,000; the school district enrollment had increased to 32,000; and there were thirty-eight schools in the district.

Pride in the Plano ISD was obvious throughout the community as Dr. Hendrick led in the phenomenal growth of the school district, thus, in the growth of the city of Plano. People moving to the area were drawn to his positive attitude and the spirit of teamwork and the tireless devotion to the development of the district "for the boys and girls of Plano" that he inspired.

Retiring in 1991, Dr. Hendrick remained active in education in several interim positions in nearby school districts. He and Elizabeth own a farm in Bonham, Texas, north of Plano on which they run approximately fifty head of cattle. They do much of the work on the farm themselves and take pride in their farmplace. Spending vacation times with their son, Steve and his wife and their three grandchildren brings great joy to their lives. They look forward to vacationing in Branson, Missouri to enjoy the musical shows several times a year. They are longtime members of First Baptist Church Plano. Active membership in the Plano Rotary Club has been held by Dr. Hendrick for the length of time they have lived in Plano.

Since his retirement in 1991, both have been extremely dedicated to the selection and mentoring of the recipients of the Hendrick Scholarships. Providing encouragement, counsel, and contacts for job opportunities are ongoing endeavors for both. They readily recall the names and life needs and circumstances of each scholarship recipient. They follow their school experiences and receive friendly letters of appreciation, invitations to their graduation ceremonies, and greetings at holiday times.

The Board seeks mentors within the Board and among the community. A goal Dr. Hendrick expressed was to "get the kid through one semester...open their eyes to a new world, and sooner or later see them complete a vocational or college program." Pursuit of their degrees is extremely important, but some students have found a need to discontinue college enrollment for various reasons. Seeking them out and encouraging them to re-enroll in school is a commitment the Hendricks and the Board members take very seriously.

Their goal is to help people. They seek to "provide a rope, an 'avenue' for people to follow to do what they want to do."

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