BY SARA SYVERSON

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Dedicated service deserves its due recognition.

Tom Henderson, director of Family Services in Brown County recently received the Distinguished Service Award from Region 9 of the Minnesota Social Service Association.

Henderson has been the director of Brown County Family Services for nearly 27 years.

The award acknowledges that Brown County Family Services carries a reputation for quality in the region and at the state level because of Henderson's skills and leadership, according to information form the MSSA.

"He has a detailed wealth of knowledge about both social services and income maintenance programs and is a compassionate administrator in recognizing the need for these programs and services," MSSA said.

On the state level, Henderson is well-respected by the Department of Human Services as also one of the outstanding fiscal managers and directors in the state, MSSA information states.

"I'm passionate about my subject -- human services," said Henderson, "I decided to go into social work when I was in high school. A counselor said to me, 'Tom, you're quite a social young man. You really like people and you really like being with and around people. Have you thought about being a social worker?' I said, 'What's that?'"

Henderson, whose father was a highway engineer, lived in Fairmont until he was 15 years old. His family then moved to Mankato, where he graduated from Loyola High School.

Henderson took the suggestion of his high school counselor, and earned a degree in sociology from St. John's University.

A field placement at the Stearns County Welfare Department provided inspiration for Henderson.

His supervisor told him that many of the professional people in the social services field wanted to be in the private sector and the non-profit sector, but the "action" was in the public sector -- although the money was not necessarily there.

"He really inspired me to stay in public human services," said Henderson.

After college graduation, Henderson worked in Swift County as a social worker and gained valuable experience.

"They had one position and you did everything from child protection to working with developmentally disabled adults and children, the mentally ill. That was a small county," said Henderson. "I worked there for 15 months -- kind of 24 hours a day. I left the community on the weekends; but when it came Monday mornings, it was constant until Friday again. ... By the end of 15 months I just fried. It was overwhelming."

However, Henderson's hard work was rewarded with a scholarship for graduate school from the state of Minnesota. He chose the University of Iowa in Iowa City because of its focus on rural social work.

"I knew I never wanted to be a metropolitan person," said Henderson, "I really had some good professors down there (Iowa). I was really fortunate and got some good placements. I worked with Lutheran Social Service and with an inner-city project in Des Moines. My field placements were all in Des Moines."

Henderson's graduate thesis focused on group homes for emotionally disturbed individuals, and he did his research in Minnesota.

After receiving his master's degree in social work, Henderson returned to Minnesota, which was one of the conditions of his scholarship.

"No problem. ... I wanted to," said Henderson.

He worked in Anoka County in the Fridley area as an intensive child welfare/protection social worker for half a year.

Henderson then accepted a position in Scott County as social service supervisor.

"This job in Scott County was overwhelming," said Henderson, "Growing -- fast growing. It was always fast growing, and it had a lot of growing pains. The Jordan trailer court case ... was incubating while I was there. {This case involved wide-spread accusations of child abuse.} It was a small, rural county with all this growth that we were not capable of dealing with. And a board that primarily focused on the past -- back when Scott County was just a nice farm county with beautiful fields-- and in total denial of what was going on the north part of the county. We had all these families moving in who were escaping Hennepin County authorities for the most part, so there was no capacity to deal with it."

After a year and a half, two job opportunities opened up for Henderson. One job was in Martin County and the other in Brown County.

Denny Warta was a newly elected county commissioner, and he knew Henderson was a good match for Brown County.

'"I was offered both jobs," said Henderson, "The difference came that Denny Warta was very aggressive about it. ... He actually came up to Shakopee and took me out for dinner one night and said, 'You want this job for these reasons. ...' He was very aggressive about recruiting me, so to speak, after the interview and he was just determined to get me to come here (to Brown County)."

Henderson started work in Brown County in May of 1973 with the assurance of the county commissioners that they would support changes that Henderson needed to make to its social services programs .

"I've just made a career out of trying to make this county operation for Human Services the best it possibly can," said Henderson, "And I've had a lot of supportive boards and staff. I've still got a number of people I hired when I first came here."

Henderson's work in Brown County involves implementing state and federal Human Services programs and making sure these programs are suitable for the county's needs.

"I just feel Human Services is best administered and delivered at a local level with local input," said Henderson. "Where people know people and there's an investment in your neighbor's best welfare."

Henderson's ongoing

passion for human

services earns

recognition for him