Bobby Bart Henson, 86, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away Sunday, March 14, 2021, due to complications from cancer. Bart is survived by his wife of 61 years, Bettye (Tipton) Henson; daughter, Rebecca (Henson) Jones; granddaughter, Zoe Claire Jones; son-in-law; Chris Jones; and many loving cousins and extended family. Bart was preceded in death by his parents and sister.
Bart was born February 8, 1935, in Nauvoo, Walker County, Alabama, to Bart and Nan “Nannie” (Martin) Henson. He attended Mulga and Nauvoo elementary schools and graduated in 1953 from Minor High School. As a young boy, he developed a fascination and proficiency with radio technology which grew into an engineering career. Bart graduated from the University of Alabama in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
In 1959 Bart met and married in Huntsville the great love of his life, Bettye Jean. By unusual coincidence, Bettye has his same birth date (but not year). Bart and Bettye made their home in Huntsville, where Bart’s more than 35-year career as an electrical engineer for NASA supported development of the Saturn rocket, biomedical instrumentation of astronauts for the first moon missions, and operations for the Space Shuttles. Bart possessed upon his death the active amateur radio call sign W4TVH, the original sign awarded him by the FCC close to 70 years ago.
Bart possessed a quirky personality, spirit of adventure, and thirst for knowledge. Bart developed his passion and expertise for regional history and archaeology after his new wife Bettye refused to spelunk with him due to her fear of bats. Bart became a recognized and sought-after expert on indigenous Southeastern peoples’ petroglyphs and pictographs. His happiest memories are those spent on field trips with his wife and daughter in search of arrowheads and artifacts. Bart was president and a life-time member of the Alabama Archaeological Society. Governor Guy Hunt appointed Bart to the Alabama Historical Commission, to help protect and preserve Alabama’s historic places.
In addition to field trips, Bart loved browsing bookstores and having a mocha at his favorite local coffee shop, Angel’s. Bart played piano and trombone, and his daughter remembers his rousing, foot-stomping honky-tonk and Hank Williams piano renditions. Bart passed on his love of technology, books, music and exploration to his daughter Rebecca, and his love of music especially to his most beloved granddaughter Zoe.
A Celebration of Life will be held later this year when it is safe to gather. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation, 6701 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 300, Post Office Box 34635, Bethesda, MD 20817, https://www.diabetesaction.org.
