Henderson, Vivian Wilson, 1969-1976

The series is comprised of administrative files, correspondence, reports, manuscripts and printed materials detailing Henderson's seven year relationship with the Ford Foundation, to which he served as a member of the Board of Directors and on various committees. Henderson's selection to the Board is noteworthy as being the first for an African-American, and the documents portray the internal workings of one of the world's great philanthropic organizations. Particularly noteworthy is an oral history project on Henderson, conducted by Charles Morrissey (1973). The documents in the reports characterize the wide array of national and and international concerns and issues in which the Foundation took interest, including the humanities, education and energy, war, welfare, Ethiopia and China. The documents provide also provide a worl picture of the rich relationships that developed among members of the Board.