B. Bart Henson--Memoria

 

B. Bart Henson – Memoria

by Mark Cole

Source: Huntsville Times obituary 21 March 2021

Bobby Bart Henson left this world on March 15, 2021.  A native of Nauvoo, Alabama (near Jasper) and graduate of Minor High School, Henson received an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Alabama in 1957, and his professional engineering license from the State of Alabama in 1962.  He spent most of his career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as an Instrument Test Engineer in Huntsville, Alabama before retiring in 1990.  He is survived by his wife Bettye, daughter Rebecca (Jones), her husband Chris, and a granddaughter, Zoe.

Growing up in a poor rural family, Bart enjoyed outdoors and had a large farm in Pulaski, Tennessee that he and Bettye were very fond of.  He was not a hunter, but loved providing a sanctuary for wildlife.  They built their home in Huntsville, Alabama and lived there for over sixty years.  It’s a perfect microcosm of their lives, Bettye’s beautiful flowers and plants, and Bart’s piles of books and rocks.   

As I sit in the shadows, looking up at the stars, my mind races to Bettye and the emotions she must feel.  Bettye and Bart were inseparable, soulmates and best friends that even shared the same birthday (different years).  We pray for her strength and peace. 

I first met Bart Henson at the Alabama Archaeological Society Winter Meeting held at the Tennessee Valley Art Museum in Tuscumbia, Alabama in 2002.  I still remember when I saw him, silver beard and trademark cap, standing next to A.J. and Carolyn Wright.  The two men were dressed in sports jackets and slacks, exuding professionalism and confidence - a caliber of person in education and experience far beyond my situation.

I had read about the exploits of Cambron and Hulse, Mahan and Moebes, Futato and Knight, Henson and Wright, from copies of the Journal of Alabama Archaeology loaned by a friend.  These men and women were iconic to me, and became models of my approach to this great science, in this great State.

Henson must have noticed my eagerness and impatience through that first encounter, because during a break he took the time to introduce himself, share some stories with me and offer an autographed copy of his book, “Alabama’s Aboriginal Rock Art”.  I found him humble and kind, inquisitive yet professional, and that day he made an important impression on a young, naïve artifact collector.    

Over the next three decades, Bart and I became close friends.  We stayed in touch when Jen and I moved to Florida, and when we returned our families spent a great deal of time together.  We shared many wonderful meals with Bart and Bettye, took some adventurous field trips, and shared many enjoyable phone conversations.      

Bart will be best remembered for his work with Native American rock art in Alabama, and he has been the author or co-author of several reports, books and hundreds of presentations to local and regional groups on the subject.  Dr. Jan Simek of the University of Tennessee, a specialist in the field, considers Bart his inspiration and hero.  That’s easy to see, given that despite Bart’s unparalleled credentials he treated everyone with the utmost professionalism.    

But to limit Bart to the discipline of prehistoric art alone overlooks even more significant archaeological achievements.  Between 1962 and 1975, the Alabama Archaeological Society experienced its peak membership, but was forced to evolve from its amateur roots into a more professionally oriented Society designed to meet the growing demand of cultural resource management programs.  Had this change not occurred, the Society would have ceased to exist. 

During those seminal transition years, the Henson’s served in several leadership roles for the Society, including President, Vice President, Board Members and Treasurer.  Bart became the inaugural liaison to the Alabama Historical Commission, appointed by Governor Guy Hunt, the last avocational to hold that office, and likely the last ever to do so.

By the early 1980s, Bart and Bettye had become arguably the most important and decorated avocational archaeologists in the United States.  They received both the Award of Merit and the Distinguished Service Award from the Alabama Historical Commission, the Outstanding Member Award from the Alabama Archaeological Society, and in 2012, the Milt and Bea Harris Lifetime Achievement award, the highest honor the Society can bestow on a member.

There are a thousand other stories that I could write about from my thirty-year relationship with Bart Henson.  About DeJarnette’s escapades with axes, Carey Oakley and surface surveys in Madison County.  Ed Burwell telling Bart about three other faces carved in rocks that were used as road fill in Highway 231 north at Meridianville.  About the fluted point site at Burwell Mountain.  Trips he took with Bettye to collect during holidays while relatives waited for dinner.  Talks he had with Ed Mahan, Charles Brosemer, Jack Cambron and many others.

I could tell you about Bart’s hiring by Werner Von Braun, his proudest achievements in testing astronaut biometrics, the time the monkey escaped in the NASA lab, and much more.

But none of that would be sufficient to communicate the respect I had for the man.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellis Whitt came to visit Jen and I from North Carolina.  While Ellis was here, we were able to have Bart and Bettye over to enjoy the fellowship of a home cooked meal in the midst of a trying year.  The next day, Bart, Ellis and I met Charles Moore at Heaven’s Half Acre (HHA) for a field trip and a chance to recollect.  COVID-19 had ramped up and a planned study of the sites had been delayed, but after almost a year in quarantine, everyone was ready to stretch their legs a little.  Looking back, I’m glad we went – I was with my heroes.

Alabama has lost an iconic historian and researcher, and I have lost a friend.  I will always wish for one more chance to pull on my boots, get in my truck, and take Bart out for one more spin.  Maybe one day, I’ll see him again.

For now, I’m left staring at those empty, muddy boots, memories flashing through my mind, a series of smiles, laughs and tears.  That’s the complexity of becoming friends with an icon, no matter what, no matter how hard I try, I know his boots I will never fill.

Figure 1 - Left to Right, Charles Moore, Ellis Whitt and Bart Henson at Heaven's Half Acre in October 2020

NOTE from A.J. Wright

Mr. Cole has graciously allowed me to post this remembrance of Bart Henson,  which will also appear in a future issue of the Alabama Archaeological Society's newsletter, Stones and Bones. The illustrations and comments below are my additions.

This book by Bart Henson and John Martz was published by the Alabama Historical Commission in 1979. 

I met Bart and Bettye Henson in the 1960's via my dad Amos J. Wright, Jr.'s participation in the Alabama Archaeological Society. I still have the American Heritage Dictionary the Henson's gave me when I graduated from high school in 1970. 

In my 2017 post "Dad and Alabama Archaeology" I included a memorial to dad that appeared in the Stones and Bones. I made the following comments about Bart Henson's portion and the story behind the article they wrote together:

"Mr. Henson tells the story of the Great Lamar County Aboriginal Sandstone Quarry Hunt led by my maternal grandfather, the Rev. John M. Shores. I remember that day well; granddaddy--an avid hunter and woodsman-- thought he could take us right to the location of the rocks with the strange markings. We spent a long time that day wandering around while he tried to recall landmarks near that spot."