Educator, cyclist remembered for impact on Fort Worth. ‘He truly left you better than he found you’

Chuck Henson was someone who always gave. What he gave varies, depending on who you ask.

Former students and teacher friends remember him as a passionate educator who brought out the best in his students. Friends remember him as someone who connected people through food, whether by holding pizza parties or randomly delivering homemade salsa and guacamole. Others remember him for being a motivating voice while out on group bike rides, always conversing with someone, willing to talk about anything.

"Chuck was authentic," his son, Patrick Henson, said. "He was out doing things and interacting with people. I think that was really where he got joy from."

So it came as a shock to many people when they learned of Henson's death. At 68, Henson was struck by a vehicle while cycling with a group on the morning of Sept. 7.

"The night before, I had my 50th (high school) reunion and we talked about Chuck, not knowing that he had passed away Saturday morning," said Mark Faulk, one of Henson's friends at Oklahoma City's Classen High School. "We were going, 'Why is he not here?' and there's a little piece of me that goes, 'Man, if I could have talked him into coming for the reunion, maybe it wouldn't have happened.'"

Faulk remembered Henson as being an intelligent student who often skipped classes. So Faulk found it surprising — and ironic — when Henson said he was moving to Texas to become a teacher.

"He told me one time when we were talking about his teaching, (Chuck) said, 'I would have kids who would show up and say they didn't make it to class because this happened to me,' and every time (Chuck) would go, 'No, I used that excuse four times.' Nobody could pull anything over on him because he had tried it himself," Faulk said.

He dedicated more than 25 years to teaching at different schools across Fort Worth ISD, most notably at W.P. McLean Sixth Grade Center, where he taught science.

"When Chuck would go out in the neighborhood, he would invariably run into his former students who would go out of their way to come up to him and refer to him as Mr. Henson," said Chris Watson, a friend of Henson's he met through cycling. "They would update him on how they were doing. You could immediately see that they had a really warm regard for him."

Although Henson retired from teaching in 2022, he was offered a position at Overton Elementary School a year later to teach science labs three days a week.

"I pulled him back in," Overton Elementary School Principal Sandra Haro said. "He's the only person that I thought of to fill it, and it was perfect."

Haro worked alongside Henson at McLean for six years and said he knew how to make science a fun, hands-on learning experience.

"He lit up every single day he walked into this building," Haro said. "The kids loved every minute of it. I walked out of my office one day because it was so loud in the hallway. And he's got them out there making paper airplanes. He was throwing and measuring paper airplanes, they were getting caught on the top of the ceilings and in the lights. Chuck said, 'We're having fun doing science,' and gave me a big hug."

Haro said Henson expected the "absolute best and 110%" of himself and others. His teaching motivated and influenced many students. Henson was keenly aware of his students' strengths and weaknesses, always pushing them to succeed and try harder in the classroom.

"One of my teachers here, Holly Addington, her daughter Claire had Chuck as a teacher," Haro said. "We were talking last week, and Claire called her mom and just relayed a story about how the reason she is studying in a science field in college right now is because of Chuck. He totally changed her outlook on the sciences. Totally changed her outlook on what she could do and where to go. He was there for everybody, he truly left you better than he found you."

Prior to being a teacher, Henson worked at different restaurants. Although he eventually left that career path behind, he enjoyed making food for other people, even holding pizza parties to connect friends and family in his life.

"He took it upon himself to make homemade salsa and guacamole," Watson said. "He would buy a special corn chip that he liked and deliver these gifts to about 10 different households. I was lucky enough to be on the list. You never knew when Chuck was on a mission. He would just show up with salsa."

During the end of the school year at McLean, Henson would make a large batch of red beans, rice and cornbread as a holiday gift, which some staff re-created to honor him.

"Lindsey Traughber, the McLean Sixth band director, the Monday after (Chuck) died, used his recipe for red beans, rice and cornbread and made it for the McLean Sixth staff to celebrate," Haro said. "He'd just have a piece of cornbread for me because he'd make fun of me that I wouldn't eat the red beans. But I thought that was a fitting way for their staff to honor him."

Patrick Henson said the outpouring of support from people who knew his father from cycling and teaching, friends in Fort Worth and Oklahoma, and even neighbors illustrated the connections Henson made throughout his life. His ability to give allowed people to connect with one another, a trait that intersected with his life as a teacher and a father.

"It wasn't a show, it wasn't like (him) to be a good friend to somebody and not care about (other) people," his son said. "That whole thing was sort of the authenticity. If he was going to do something kind for Chris (Watson), he could just as easily do something kind for someone he'd never met."

Faulk plans to honor his friend at a memorial gathering at The Saucee Sicilian, a pizzeria in Oklahoma City near their old high school building. The memorial gathering is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 6.

In the coming weeks, Patrick plans to hold a celebration in Fort Worth of his father's life.

Henson was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Bettie Henson, and his brother Jim and sister Barbara, as well as his daughter, Chelsea.

He is survived by his soulmate, Molly Hale; his son Patrick, daughter-in-law Mellissa and grandchildren Chloe, Ava and Donovan; his brother Bob Henson and brother-in-law Matt Kelsch; sister Mary Henson; and nephews David, Desmond and Nolan Henson.

Kevin Vu is a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and contributor to the Fort Worth Report.

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