Class Note 1951
Issue
September-October 2026
Class Note 1951. Longtime class secretary Kenneth “Pete” M. Henderson Jr. died May 30 in his hometown of Evanston, Illinois. His son John shared the following details about Pete’s life.
Pete and his wife, Jean, merged their families in 1972 following the death of his first wife, Nancy. They took great pride in the success of that merger and in the satisfying lives lived by their combined seven children: Tim, Stephanie, Scott, John, Charles, Guy, and Murph; their partners; grandchildren Kate, Ben, Kelsey, Jackson, Andrew, and Daniel; and three great-grandchildren.
Other sources of pleasure in Pete’s life included far-flung friends with whom he was in frequent contact; Dartmouth, with which he was actively engaged throughout his life; and the Chicago Cubs. Every day spent at Wrigley Field or at spring training in Arizona was a highlight for him.
With the goal of getting all there was from life and indulging fully his wide interests, Pete initiated job changes at approximately 10-year intervals. After graduating from Dartmouth, he served for three years as a lieutenant (j.g.) aboard a destroyer in the U.S. Navy. In succeeding episodes, he was a plant manager for Inland Steel Products Co.; a vice president with management consulting firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton; associate dean and professor of management at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management; executive director of Chicago United, a not-for-profit organization of Black, white, and Hispanic chief executives addressing the city of Chicago’s most pressing problems; and executive vice president of Jannotta, Bray & Henderson, an executive outplacement firm.
Giving back was a constant in Pete’s life. He guided and inspired neighbors, relatives, colleagues, and friends who sought his counsel to shape their professional lives. More formally, he served as president of the Winnetka, Illinois, board of education and chair of the Community Renewal Society. He was a board member of the Winnetka Community House, Evanston Community Foundation, North Shore Country Day School, and leadership council for Metropolitan Open Communities. Dartmouth recognized Pete with its Alumni Award and the class honored him with its “Spirit of ’51” Award. He and Jean were named Winnetka’s “Man/Woman of the Year.”
—The Editors
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Pete and his wife, Jean, merged their families in 1972 following the death of his first wife, Nancy. They took great pride in the success of that merger and in the satisfying lives lived by their combined seven children: Tim, Stephanie, Scott, John, Charles, Guy, and Murph; their partners; grandchildren Kate, Ben, Kelsey, Jackson, Andrew, and Daniel; and three great-grandchildren.
Other sources of pleasure in Pete’s life included far-flung friends with whom he was in frequent contact; Dartmouth, with which he was actively engaged throughout his life; and the Chicago Cubs. Every day spent at Wrigley Field or at spring training in Arizona was a highlight for him.
With the goal of getting all there was from life and indulging fully his wide interests, Pete initiated job changes at approximately 10-year intervals. After graduating from Dartmouth, he served for three years as a lieutenant (j.g.) aboard a destroyer in the U.S. Navy. In succeeding episodes, he was a plant manager for Inland Steel Products Co.; a vice president with management consulting firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton; associate dean and professor of management at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management; executive director of Chicago United, a not-for-profit organization of Black, white, and Hispanic chief executives addressing the city of Chicago’s most pressing problems; and executive vice president of Jannotta, Bray & Henderson, an executive outplacement firm.
Giving back was a constant in Pete’s life. He guided and inspired neighbors, relatives, colleagues, and friends who sought his counsel to shape their professional lives. More formally, he served as president of the Winnetka, Illinois, board of education and chair of the Community Renewal Society. He was a board member of the Winnetka Community House, Evanston Community Foundation, North Shore Country Day School, and leadership council for Metropolitan Open Communities. Dartmouth recognized Pete with its Alumni Award and the class honored him with its “Spirit of ’51” Award. He and Jean were named Winnetka’s “Man/Woman of the Year.”
—The Editors