Florida Retirement, Active Style

Fifteen years ago a New York executive, in search of quiet and relaxation, retired to the sunny shores of Florida. Today this same man is probably one of the busiest and most civic-minded men in the state. But one has only to ask Alex Henderson '19 to find out that he enjoys an active, full life.

To keep him occupied, Mr. Henderson is mayor of Hillsboro Beach, Fla., headmaster of the Hillsboro Country Day School, and the owner of a motel.

For 27 years he was associated with Avon Products Corporation and is still a member of the cosmetic firm's board of directors. In 1946 the Henderson family moved to Florida and three years later settled in the residential community of Hillsboro Beach. The city of Hillsboro Beach is unique in that it has only one main street which runs the length of the city, 3.1 miles, and at its widest point is only 900 feet wide.

After coming to Hillsboro, Mr. Henderson proved that he could solve his own problems when one arises. In 1953 he wanted the best education possible for his youngest son. As the local schools did not meet the standards he expected, he founded a school of his own, the Hillsboro Country Day School. Since its founding as a small school with ten pupils, it has grown to a school with an enrollment of 150 students. It was first conducted in a small oceanside cottage with a faculty of one teacher. Today Hillsboro Country Day School includes eleven teachers and covers nursery school through the eighth grade. It is designed to prepare the student for acceptance into the best preparatory schools in the country. Another educational interest of Mr. Henderson's is St. Andrew's School for Boys at Boca Raton, for which he is presently serving as chairman of the building fund committee.

Since coming to Hillsboro Beach, Mr. Henderson has been elected mayor four times, a job without pay. The city's personnel, according to a recent report, also includes five policemen and a city clerk.

In his enthusiasm for civic betterment, Mr. Henderson has quietly made many benefactions. An example of this interest is the Henderson Mental Hygiene Clinic which bears his name. In the years to come it will serve as a tribute to a man who loved children. One of his most recent community gifts is a playing field for the children of Pompano Beach.

Mr. Henderson's next step will be to retire from "retirement," but for the present he is too busy to think about it. In the problems of elementary education and civic administration he is finding as much pleasure as he once did in the cosmetic business.