William H. Henderson (August 14, 1905 Oleander - June 1, 1972 Fresno)
[From "Popular Sicience Montly", December 1932, pp. 44-45, 106:] "Plants that grow nowhere else on earth bloom in the gardens of William H. Henderson, near Fresno, Calif. With 150 new flowers, fruits and vegetables to his credit, this Young experimenter, less than thirty years old, is carrying on the work of the world famous plant wizard, Luther Burbank. ....In 1922, Henderson graduated from the Fresno High School. He had always been passionately fond of working with plants, so he wrote to Luther Burbank asking for employment. Out of 1,500 applicants for such work, he was the one selected. His first Job was pulling weeds at $15 a week. For four years, he remained with Burbank...During the last two years of Burbank's life, he was his trusted assistant. In 1926, when Burbank died, Henderson returned to his step-father's Ranch, near Fresno, and began experiments of his own." [The article than speaks about zinnia, amaryllis, hibiscus, muscat grapes and sweet corn]...Just before his death, Burbank was trying to produce a rose of unusual color and extreme fragrance combined with the ability to stand heat and severe weather changes. Henderson's experiments with roses have been along these lines. He has a wild rose which he uses for hybridizing purposes, putting the varied colors of tame roses into the wild one. Among the colors thus far produced are a dark, velvet red edged with black; silver pink; orange; pure scarlet, and a yellow and bronze combination. Public taste in roses, during recent years has run to vivid, brilliant hues, and Henderson has endeavored to satisfy the demand."
[From "Plant Life", 1983, p. 55:] "In Memoriam William H. Henderson (1905-1972)...William H. Henderson was born in Oleander, Fresno County, on August 14, 1905, into a family of businessmen, vineyardists, and orchardists. Henderson attended Fresno Schools, and studied horticulture at Fresno Tech under Amos John Gaumnitz, who also taught agriculture...".
