While attending the Texas Press Association awards banquet Saturday, I struck up a conversation with a young writer named Exsar Arguello who was just starting his writing career after graduating from Texas State and working for good friend Cyndy Slovak-Barton at the Hays Free Press.
I could not resist engaging him in old man conversation about the good old days at “Southwest Texas State” and how, of course, things were much better back then.
It also brought to mind one of my greatest influences.
Jeff Henderson—who passed away in 2009—was a journalism professor for 30 years at SWT and more importantly, he was the student publications director which meant he oversaw the student newspaper The University Star.
When the basketball career fizzled out at St. Edward’s University (the Celtics never called for some reason) I gravitated towards San Marcos, which is where I wanted to go in the first place.
I chose Southwest Texas for its academic standing and learning opportunities... hold it—there were eight girls to every one guy on campus. Enough said.
I was a RTV (radio and television) major and had planned to continue in that direction—until I met Jeff Henderson in line at registration.
He struck up a random conversation with me while in line and when he found out I had done some writing in high school—that was it—he did everything but physically pick me up and dump me in the journalism line.
Because of enthusiasm for the written word, I changed my major on the spot.
I eventually became the editor of the University Star and spent most of my spare time trying to paste together two newspapers a week while taking a full load of classes, floating the river, hanging out at Cheatham Street Warehouse and dining at Herbert’s Taco Hut. My plate was full, so to speak.
The staff made $25 a week and we once figured out compared to the hours we were working it came out to about 4 cents an hour. But we loved every minute of it and Jeff was right there with us most of the time, cutting and pasting stories or writing headlines on “the headline machine.”
I always enjoyed the actual working on the newspaper more than sitting in the classroom and Jeff took quick notice of this.
He used to tell me, “Bill, when it comes to the newspaper, the workshops and the labs, you’re the best I’ve got. But in the classroom, not so much.”
He dressed casually and had long hair so that made him one of us.
I am sure that there are thousands of SWT journalism students who have stories like mine. It was difficult to pass through the department without being touched by Jeff Henderson.
The things he taught me almost 40 years ago I still use to this day and more important than that, he taught me how to have fun with what he taught me.
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