The Legacy of Dr. H. Wayne Hendrick
Superintendent of Plano ISD, Plano Rotarian and Chairman of Scholarships and Academics for the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation
Early Years
Wayne Hendrick was born June 9, 1924, in Lovejoy, a small community north of Plano, Texas. His was a large family, with seven brothers and sisters. Their parents farmed a small cotton farm. He shared, “We lived on Poverty Hill.”
His mother was determined that all of her children would graduate from high school. Although no one in his family had earned a college degree in the past, four of the Hendrick children earned at least a bachelor’s degree. Three of the Hendricks’ sons served in the military in WWII, and the youngest son served in Korea and Vietnam. Three of them had begun college before joining the service, and upon completing their tour of duty, all pursued degrees on the G.I. Bill.
Superintendent of Plano ISD
When Dr. Hendrick started with Plano ISD, the sleepy farming community thirty minutes north of Dallas had a population of approximately 3,600 with a school enrollment of 1,175. There were three schools in the district. When Dr. Hendrick retired in 1991, the population of Plano had grown to more than 129,000; the school district enrollment had increased to 32,000; and there were thirty-eight schools in the district.
Dr. Hendrick owned a farm in Bonham, north of Plano on which they ran approximately fifty head of cattle. Spending vacation times with his son, Steve, and his wife and their three grandchildren brought great joy to his life. He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church Plano. Active membership in the Plano Rotary Club was held by Dr. Hendrick for the length of time he lived in Plano.
Since his retirement in 1991, he was extremely dedicated to the selection and mentoring of the recipients of the Hendrick Scholarships. Providing encouragement, counsel, and contacts for job opportunities at Plano ISD was obvious throughout the community as Dr. Hendrick led in the phenomenal growth of the school district, thus, in the growth of the City of Plano. People moving to the area were drawn to his positive attitude and the spirit of teamwork and the tireless devotion to the development of the district “for the boys and girls of Plano” that he inspired.
After Retirement
Retiring in 1991, Dr. Hendrick remained active in education in several interim positions in nearby school districts. He followed the school experiences of the students he inspired and received friendly letters of appreciation, invitations to their graduation ceremonies, and greetings at holiday times.
Through the years, Dr. Hendrick continued to participate in the student applicant interviews, to determine those who qualify for help to receive a scholarship to pursue their college education, based upon their overcoming adversities in life and persistence to graduate from high school.
He told of the overwhelming stories of sacrifice and poverty many of the students had experienced. He stressed that these were young people no one else was helping. He held that through the scholarship program, these students felt “Someone is interested in me.” Further, “I’ve been selected.”
Dr. Hendrick served as the Chairman of Scholarships and Academics for the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation until he passed away on September 28, 2016 surrounded by family.
Flavia Weedn said, “Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same.” We think that was Dr. Hendrick for all of us!