Memorial service Weds. Feb. 12 from 4-7 p.m. at the Madrona Room at the Orcas Center
— by Margie Doyle , updated Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. —
Bob and Phyllis Henigson, Sept. 2013
Robert Henigson, Deer Harbor philanthropist, strong civic supporter and lover of the arts, has passed away at Island Hospital in Anacortes, in the presence of his wife Phyllis and sons. Bob Henigson was 89.
His heart and intellect were great, and he used them to benefit a vast array of causes and endeavors. He never stopped planning ways to make life better for those who follow him.
On Jan. 29, the following letter was addressed to the Orcas community regarding memorial services and remembrances:
Dear family and friends,
I am sorry to have to tell you that Bob passed away early yesterday morning after being hospitalized for injuries he suffered from a bad fall on Friday. He did so peacefully, in his sleep, with myself, Ted, and Jeff beside him. Over the last several days, we all had the opportunity to read poems and prayers to him, share memories, and tell him how much we love him.
We will have a funeral service in Los Angeles at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068 (https://www.mountsinaiparks.
org/about/mount-sinai-parks/ directions-3/) on February 9. It will begin promptly at 11:30AM and be immediately followed by a reception which we’ll have at Granite Park Place, 920 Granite Drive, Pasadena, CA 91101, concluding at 5PM. We’ve also finalized the date and time for the Orcas Island potluck community celebration and that is the 12th of February from 4-7PM at the Madrona Room at the Orcas Center.
Again we’d love to see you at either or both events..
You are welcome to attend either or both of these events but please feel no pressure to do so. Your feelings for him are well known, and we are grateful for your presence in his life. Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers would be appreciated in the areas of Education or the Environment, both of which Bob held very dear to his heart. One very special organization for him in particular was the Orcas Island Community Foundation (https://oicf.us).
With love,Phyllis, Ted, & Jeff [Henigson]
Hilary Canty, Director of the Orcas Island Community Foundation, said today [Jan. 29], “Few people have had such a broad and deep influence on our community. From full day kindergarten to Library Park, new seats for the Grange, and concert sponsorships for OICMF, it is hard to think of a program or project that Bob and Phyllis did not contribute to.
“I will be placing a bouquet from OICF at the base of the Bill of Rights in Library Park. Seems a fitting honor for Bob.”
Library Park was donated to the county by the Henigsons in 1997, “to preserve some open, green space in the village and augment access to the library grounds at the same time.” They also protected the property with a conservation easement with the San Juan Preservation Trust and established a fund to maintain and care for the park.
“Obviously, I feel strongly about preservation,” Henigson said. “I think that each of us, individually, needs to make a more determined effort to prevent the environmental degradation which invariably accompanies rampant development. And we don’t have to rely on government to downzone everything; we can do it ourselves.”
Two years later, they protected 18 acres of open fields adjoining their home on Deer Harbor Road with a conservation easement donated to the Preservation Trust.
From their Deer Harbor Home, Bob worked with the Deer Harbor Master Plan and the Deer Harbor Planning Review Committee/ He has served on the Board of Orcas Public Library Trustees. The Henigsons contributed generously to Farm to Cafeteria, SeaDoc Society, and Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, among other island organizations.
In recognition of their long history of active participation and support, Bob and Phyllis Henigson were named “Lifetime Members” of OPAL Community Land Trust in 2012, along with Michael Brennan and Bob Gamble and. They were similarly honored by the Community Foundation in 2007.
Doug Bechtel, one of the founders and Past Presidents of the Community Foundation, said of Henigson’s service to that organization, “Bob’s wisdom and insight into complex issues helped guide the Community Foundation. Bob always challenged me to look at an issue from a new directions. He didn’t give solutions, but rather things to think about. I always left a meeting with Bob feeling so excited and ready to tackle the challenge before me.”
The Henigson’s contributions to education have been especially noteworthy.
In 2007, Bob Henigson challenged the community to provide long-term reliable funding for the Orcas Island School District (OISD). He worked with the Orcas Island Education Foundation, establishing the Education Initiative, with OICF to be the Initiative’s fund supervisor. “There is no reason why we can’t be the best,” Henigson had said when he issued his challenge to the community. The Henigsons funded all-day kindergarten with Orcas Elementary, from 2008 to 2010.
Last Spring, the Funhouse Commons announced the creation of the Henigson Public School Student Fund College Scholarship Program, an annual scholarship of up to $16,000 to one graduate of Orcas Island High School. The program was created in partnership with the Henigson Public School Student Fund, or HPSSF, which through the Funhouse Commons has been providing online classes, SAT Test Prep and College Counseling to Orcas High School for several years.
In the words of Bob Henigson, the scholarship student selected will “demonstrate real motivation to receive a higher degree.”
Seattle’s Intiman Theater, Swedish Medical Center, the Sierra Club, YMCA, Alaska Conservation Foundation, the Yiddish Book Center and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, have all been recipients of Henigson’s philanthropy.
Bob earned Bachelor and Master Degrees in Science from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a law degree from Harvard University. He served as the Caltech Associates Board President Emeritus.
Institutes of higher learning have also benefited from Henigson’s generosity.
At the University of Washington, the Robert and Phyllis Henigson Endowed Professorship in Hematology was established in 2010 “to enhance the University’s ability to recruit and retain distinguished faculty in the Division of Hematology.
“This endowment was created in grateful recognition of the extraordinary medical skills of Michael L. Linenberger, M.D., FACP, professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology, whose kind and caring treatment is “the essence of good medical practice.”
The Henigson Human Rights Fellowship was established at Harvard Law School for students “with a demonstrated commitment to international human rights and an interest in working in the field,… whether those careers are in academic life, in governmental or intergovernmental organizations, as activists, or as legal practitioners.”
Henigson was an Investor and retired attorney, having been a partner of Lawler, Felix & Hall, a predecessor to Arter & Hadden LLP, Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.’s counsel, prior to his retirement in 1986. He has been a Director of Scope Industries since October 1996, and previously served the same position from May 1969 to August 1987. He served as an Independent Director of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. from 1964 to April 30, 2005 and is a member of Audit , Compensation and Stock Option Committees. He has been Chairman of the Board at Myricom, Inc. since September 8, 2010.
Perhaps Howard Wright said it best today, “Bob Henigson — a man of slight stature, big heart, and a huge brain! It’s a sad day for the Island and the World.”
There aren’t words to express gratitude for Bob and Phyllis’ support of education and children. Bob’s legacy lives on in so many of the lives he touched. It lives on with grace, humanity, and just the right amount of spunk. Thank you Bob. You are someone whose footsteps will be hard to follow, but for whom we must aspire.
The mark that both Bob and Phyllis have left on the children of this island is one that will continue to pay dividends back to our community for years to come. Nearly every institution serving our kids has benefited from their generousity as well as their vision and foresight. While Bob will be missed, his presence on Orcas will remain as strong as ever.
Most of us will never know all that Bob Henigson did to improve the comfort and quality of life on Orcas Island. Deer Harbor and Orcas island has lost a pillar of a man, a generous and caring citizen and a great friend. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy.
The Deer Harbor Plan Review Committee, the residents of Deer Harbor and environs and The County Council will be forever mindful and grateful for Bob’s contribution and guidance in the formation of The Deer Harbor Plan adopted in 2007 as a working document for the future development and preservation of the quality of life for The Hamlet of Deer Harbor
Mr. Henigson is one of the most caring men I have ever met…not only for his philanthropic endeavors, but for his lovely wife at whom he would gaze so adoringly, his family, and for what surrounded him. He will be dearly missed in so many ways.
Bob was a wonderful, passionate supporter of the Library and community. Walking by the Bill of Rights display in Library Park will be a great reminder of him in the future.
One couldn’t hear more than a few sentences from Bob without marveling at his linguistic prowess. On another note, I hope his ACLU card is bronzed and added to the display in Library Park! Best wishes to his loved ones.
I once read that the definition of having “class” wasn’t in the amount of wealth one has, rather it’s the ability to treat all human beings with the respect and dignity you yourself would want to be treated. That was Bob Henigson. He will be greatly missed.
We will miss seeing Bob at all the various functions he supported. What a brilliant role model! Our love to Phyllis and his family. Frank and Jan Loudin
My prayers and consolations go out to Phyllis and the family.
We will not know all the ways Bob touched others, but here in our small community his presence will always be felt and we are grateful.
Words can’t express the loss of this wonderful and caring man. Together with Phyllis, he has been a mainstay and a guiding force for much that is good on our island. That he will be missed goes without saying, and that he will be remembered with love and gratitude is a given. Our love goes out to you, Phyllis, now as always.
A great loss to this island community and children. Humble, caring, generous, loving and a good sense of humor. Love and prayers to Phyllis and family.
As happens so often, reading here about Bob, I wish I had gotten to know him better while he was on this plain with us. I have appreciated Bob and Phyllis’s generosity since I’ve lived on Orcas and have gotten involved as a volunteer with the Chamber Music Festival. I am impressed and inspired by what I’ve read here, and my appreciation now goes deeper. Sending love and healing energy to Phyllis and the whole family.
We often talk of great couples that inspire us and Bob and Phyllis are one that we have long held at the top of our list. This inspiration we hold very dear and work towards learning from and emulating in our daily lives. We often discuss what makes great people great and all of the above tributes express those qualities so well. Phyllis and the family will undoubtedly carry this on. Gratitude and thank you. He was such a great soul! Sara and Allen Smith
Consider renaming Library Park to “Bob Henigson Memorial Park”. Design and install an ‘appropriate’ sign.
A kinder man I have never met, I am so glad I had the opportunity to speak with him recently. I’m with Bill Trogdon, it would be a wonderful memorial to Bob to have the park named after him, but either way he will always be in our memories. God bless, Phyllis, my thoughts and hugs go out to you.
We’ve lost one of our heroes.
As so many of my non-profit peers can attest, Bob’s influence on the health and future of our islands has been profound. As you all know, he possessed an incredibly sharp mind: we often turned to Bob for counsel, and his insights shaped a number of our projects. Library Park, Deer Harbor, Crow Valley… in fact the very first approach we made for the Turtleback Mountain fundraising effort took place in Bob and Phyllis’s living room, where he admired our audacity but challenged (and greatly improved) our campaign strategy.
On behalf of everyone here at the San Juan Preservation Trust, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to Phyllis and family, and to thank them for sharing Bob with this community. Bob Henigson’s legacy as a champion of our islands – our places and our people – will remain with us in perpetuity.
I met Bob Henigson only once but his courage and generosity of
spirit was felt immediately. Mr. Henigson brings to mind the
final lines in Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot: ” One of what we all are, Pelly, Less than a drop in the great blue motion of the sunlit sea. But it seems some of the drops sparkle. Some of them do Sparkle! Loving thoughts to the Henigson family.
What gifts Bob and Phyllis have given to so many that will continue for years. Bob always reflected such a gentle demeanor. Many have been blessed to have him among us for so long. So many have benefited from his many thoughtful contributions. I feel grateful to have known him. My heart is with you Phyllis and your sons in your loss.
Our community has lost more than a pillar. Bob was that, but he was a heart as well. A lovely man with a vision of community health and goodness. Thanks for that, Bob… and Phyllis, too.
I’m sad today because one of the most intelligent, humanitarians I’ve ever met and knew has passed away. Bob Henigson lived a good life. He was 89. In his youth, he was a rock climber. I don’t really believe in the concept of heaven. I do like to think that when someone passes from this life, their energy becomes strands (strings) but their conscience goes to a time when they were truly happy. I think Bob is 27 and he’s in Yosemite, above the timberline and he’s getting ready to bag a technical route of El Capitan and he’s happy. Rest in peace, Bob Henigson. I’ll never forget you. Climb on!
I am very sad to hear of Bob Henigson’s passing. Having lived as a neighbor to Phyllis and Bob in Deer Harbor for 10 years, I treasure the thoughtful conversations and kindly connections we held, especially on the walking path and it’s bench (he so thoughtfully provided). Bob loved music and the arts, as did Phyllis, so there was always this close connection over the years.
I too will feel the absence of this man who knew no boundaries – whose mind was driven by his heart and sense of community. We on Ocas Island were lucky to be the beneficiaries of such a wonderful soul.
Bob Henigson fulfilled all the promise he showed over 70 years ago, back at Hollywood’s Black Foxe Military Institute where we were classmates and both played Baritone Horn in the marching band. His wit and intellectual brilliance shown in the classroom discussions in Captain Schell’s English Literature class. Outside the classroom and everywhere as in the dining hall or on the swimming team he had a charming, easy manner with everybody. We both went off to the War in 1943 and I didn’t see Bob again until a Black Foxe reunion in 1990 where my wife, Gunnel and I sat with Bob and his charming wife, Phyllis. I didn’t ever see them again but didn’t forget them and only recently learned of their lifetime good works and Humanitarian Philanthropy.
I’ve never had a better friend in my 88 years than Bob Heningson.