Fond Farewell: Human Resources Staff Member Linda Henderson

Retired staff member Linda Henderson, who served Human Resources for 19 years, passed away February 16. She was 75.

Born January 19, 1944, in Los Banos, she moved to Chico with her family when she was a child. She graduated from Chico High School in 1961, took courses in business administration at Chico State for two years, and married her husband Stanley Henderson (BA, Social Science, ’68) in 1963. They lived out of state and in Germany during his military service, returned to Chico for several years and started a family, and later moved to the East Bay and Stockton areas for employment.

Henderson worked at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Stockton, and Chico Community Hospital before she was hired by Chico State in 1987 as a senior secretary for Human Resources. She was reclassified as an administrative operations analyst in 1991 and again as a confidential administrative support in 1997 before she retired in 2006.

Colleagues speak highly of not just her expertise in her field but the attitude by which she carried out her work.

“Linda was the epitome of professional—she combined knowledge and grace to be one of the greatest campus resources I’ve ever seen or dealt with at Chico State. She always maintained her cool, even when under extreme pressure, and could cite EM’s or Collective Bargaining Agreement articles off the top of her head in a flash,” said Tami Toon, who worked with her for four years in the office of the Vice Provost of Human Resources. “I was always amazed by her and consider myself very fortunate to have been able to begin my tenure at Chico State under her steady gaze. I learned much from her in the years we worked together.”

Henderson was one of the first people Rebecca Cagle worked with on campus during the PeopleSoft implementation. She recalls that not only was her colleague incredibly funny and friendly, but she was an incredible resource for campus.

“She had a huge impact on me and has always been someone that I wanted to be like when I ‘grow up,'” she said. “Linda was a true class act! Not only was she a very classy person in the way she dressed and carried herself, but she was always professional. This included the way she responded to people’s questions and helped people. She was so knowledgeable, respectful, level-headed, and always credible.”

Susan Long, a staff member in Benefits, Leaves, and Compensation, echoed their sentiments about how professional, friendly, caring, and well-liked Henderson was. She has many fond memories of their time together both inside the office and out.

“There was a group of us that gathered on the benches in front of Kendall Hall to knit or crochet scarves and visit during our lunch hour. Linda was always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed help,” Long said. “She really was a wonderful person.”

Henderson loved fishing and boating, spending time at the family cabin at Lake Almanor, and entertaining guests for dinner and cabin visits. She was active in the General George Washington Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and its related Ladies Auxiliary chapter.

She is survived by her husband, Stanley; children Kathryn and Paul Henderson; grandchildren Grant, Nolan, and Sofia Henderson, brother Randall Hill, and nephew Travis Hill.

Services will be held Saturday, March 2, at noon at Glen Oaks Memorial Park, 1115 Midway in Chico. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to General George Washington SAR at P.O. Box 1836, Oroville, CA 95965.