A.R. (Auby Ray) Henson 91, of Sunnyvale, Texas passed away at his home on Monday morning, July 18, 2016. He was born November 15, 1924 in Josephine, Texas (Collin County) to Johnnie Emerine Heavin and Thomas Lester Henson. He was the fifth of six children and the last surviving sibling. He was a Christian and raised in the Methodist church.
Auby was a 1941 graduate of Farmersville High School.
He was sworn into the United States Army Air Corp (Air Force) on January 12, 1944. After basic training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, radio school in Madison, Wisconsin, and gunnery school in Panama City, Florida, he received his wings on October 28, 1944. Making corporal then sergeant quickly, he was deployed overseas in March 1945 and assigned to the 491st Bomber Division based in England. He flew the first of six missions over France and Germany on April 3, 1945, as a B24 nose gunner. His last mission over Bertesgarten, Germany on April 25, 1945 led to VE day just 14 days later. He was awarded the bronze star for his twelve (12) missions over enemy territory and the Battle of Germany in the European theater over Germany and Austria. He played baseball as a pastime while in the service.
Auby returned to Farmersville upon his discharge from the service. His uncle was killed in an auto accident in West Texas. He moved to Lubbock to assist his aunt and family with running the large family farm. Auby became very close to them and formed many cherished memories that he carried with him the remainder of his life.
In 1949, he returned to Farmersville and joined the Ramblers semi-pro baseball team, sponsored by local businesses, where he played shortstop and third base. He and fellow teammate and lifelong friend, J.W. Clark opened the Clark – Henson Texaco service station on the south side of the town square. Their station became the local hangout for the town’s characters and young boys with dreams of growing up to play baseball professionally. Many pranks and tricks were played on those brave enough to hangout there. Henson and Clark, as well as, many businessmen on the square were also volunteer firemen. If they were called to a fire while the station was open, they would leave whoever was hanging around at the time, in charge until they got back. A.R. also had a second job driving a school bus where he met his wife who was a student.
A.R. and his wife Dorothy Frances Evans married on September 12, 1950 in Farmersville and had four children …Gill, Monty, Melanie and Kim. Their children presented them with a 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 2000. They have been married for almost 65 years.
A.R. joined the Dallas Police Department on April 6, 1955. He was sworn in, assigned badge #1210 and entered recruit class #47. His assignments included the jail, communications, radio patrol, reports, warrants, and arraignments. He was a jailer (1955) and was promoted to corporal (1959) remaining in the jail office. He was promoted to sergeant in April 1961 and worked patrol in the 110’s sector of Old East Dallas.
A standoff with an armed suspect in 1962 could have been his last assignment. A.R. remembered that the suspect ran from the location on N. Fitzhugh Avenue where he had shot his roommate and held him hostage. A.R. pursued the suspect to N. Prairie Avenue. Just as A.R. was in the process of tackling and subduing the suspect, the suspect produced a handgun, stuck it into A.R.’s stomach and pulled the trigger five times… but the gun did not fire! The suspect was taken into custody. After being arrested, it was determined that the gun was loaded…with live rounds and had misfired …all five times. A.R. was awarded the Meritorious Conduct Bar for his actions in this incident. Kim, his youngest daughter was born later that year.
Just as every officer working or who was a member of the Dallas Police Department during November 1963, A.R. related that he was working as the night supervisor covering the jail and dispatcher’s office. After Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested on Friday, the 22nd for the assassination of the president and murder of a fellow Dallas officer and was being held in the city jail on the fifth floor at 106 South Harwood Street; A.R. working the 10pm to 6am late night shift remembers that an unknown man came to the locked dispatch area with a box of sandwiches and knocked on the door. Henson did not know the subject, so he asked an officer who it was. The officer advised that it was Jack Ruby; a downtown bar owner that frequented the police department and was well known by most of the officers working downtown. They let him in and Ruby advised them that he knew they had been busy and unable to get down the hallways due to the media presence, so he picked up some food for them. There was no indication that he was upset or emotional about the events of the day. A.R. also related that Oswald was assigned two officers to guard him in his cell, as he was on suicide watch Friday and Saturday. There were no incidents to report.
The following Saturday night shift began at 10pm and shortly afterwards Henson began receiving calls in the dispatcher’s office from an unknown individual every half hour stating, “Oswald killed my president and he will never make it alive to the county jail!” A.R. immediately notified the local FBI office of these threats. This same individual was also calling the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department relating this same information to them. A.R. also notified his supervisors in the department.
A.R. completed his shift at 6am Sunday morning and went home to sleep. Around noon, his family returning from church with lunch, awakened him, and he turned on the television to watch the transfer of Oswald to the county jail. Soon Oswald was shot by Ruby and later expired at Parkland Hospital.
When A.R. arrived for work on Sunday night, he related that he was advised to report to the chief’s office as soon as possible. A.R. entered the office and was seated at the end of table surrounded by all the captains and chiefs in the department. There, he was asked what transpired on the Saturday night shift related to Oswald. Henson reported that he had received many calls at half hour intervals by an unknown person making threats on Oswald’s life. He went on to advise that he had alerted the FBI and the sheriff’s office as well as, the late night captain of the threats prior to leaving work.
A.R. returned to his assignment and was never asked to submit any written statement and was never interviewed by a federal officer, investigative body or the Warren Commission in this historical event. When A.R. heard Jack Ruby speak later that night in his jail cell, he knew that this was the same person that had been calling and threatening to kill Oswald on his last shift.
Other highlights in Henson’s DPD career were that he played on DPD’s softball team for many years. They played other police departments around the state and had a winning team. A.R. was instrumental in the planning stages of collecting and presenting a budget and study related to forming a mounted police horse unit within the department under Chief Don Byrd. It was not implemented until many years later under another chief. A.R. retired July 5, 1978 with twenty-three years service.
A.R. also was with the Trammell Crow Company working security at the Dallas Market Center for over 20 years and retired in 1983.
A.R. was a sports enthusiast. Never missing a baseball, football or basketball game played by local pro teams. He worked Dallas high school football games played at the Pleasant Grove Field. He also worked all of the home Dallas Cowboy football games at the Cotton Bowl while with the police department. He coached little league baseball in Mesquite with fellow officer C.R. (Rayford) Benefield and was a big supporter of local sporting events involving kids.
A.R., Dorothy and family were active in local horse related events. They were members of the Mesquite Riding Club, Texas Quarter Horse Association, Texas Junior Horse Show Association and lifetime rodeo fans. A.R. served as president of the Junior Horse Show Association from 1970 to 1980 with one of his assignments being organization of the Texas Youth Horse Congress held at Fair Park and later in Waco.
His greatest assignment in life came as being…Papaw to his five grandchildren. He cherished and loved every minute spent with them. Just as with his own children, he attended every event that they were involved in. He was even more excited when his first great-grandchild came in 2013, the second in 2014 and the third and fourth in 2016.
A.R. is pre-deceased by his parents, his siblings, and his in-laws.
A.R. is survived by his wife Dorothy of Sunnyvale, Texas; son Gill Henson (Louise) of Rockwall; son Monty Henson of Crowley, Texas; daughter Melanie Bolin (Rick) of Sunnyvale; and by daughter Kim Henson of Mesquite.
Also by granddaughters Paige Bolin Toberny (Trevor) of Mesquite, Holly Henson of Dallas, Blair Bolin Cullen (Lucas) of Mesquite, by grandsons Cheyenne and Maverick Harper of Stephenville and great-granddaughters Shane and River Cullen and Kessler Toberny of Mesquite and Lively Smith of Dallas.
We would like to acknowledge and thank his wonderful caregivers that include Gwen Robinson, Alma Garcia, Jackie Davis, Miracle Noble, Alicia Lee, Olga Nino, Yolanda Gordon and members of Heritage Hospice for their services and love shown to him and the family during his illness
Family visitation is Wednesday, July 20, 2016 from 6pm to 8pm at the funeral home.
Funeral service will be held Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 2PM in the chapel of Hurst’s Fielder Baker Funeral Home 107 N. Washington Street just north of the town square, Farmersville, Texas. Interment IOOF Cemetery in Farmersville. Inquiries may be made, by calling the funeral home at 972-782-6121.
Pallbearers are John Allen of Arlington, Rayford Benefield of Mesquite, Harold Burks of Plano, Billy King of Dallas, Benny McCarter of Rowlett, and Charlie Tull of Canton.
Honorary pallbearers are members of FHS Class of 1941, DPD Academy Class #47 of 1955, and current and retired members of the Dallas Police Department.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Assist The Officer Fund of the Dallas Police Department 1412 Griffin Street East, Dallas, Texas 75215, Farmersville Historical Society or a church or charity of your choice.
The family would like to thank you for the many acts of kindness and the love that we felt expressed by each of you. God is with us; may he bless you for your thoughtfulness and your prayers. Amen