Bruce Henderson, pillar of Parks and Rec, dies at 60

Bruce Henderson — a man who'd become a pillar of the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Department in over 20 years of service and whose advocacy for the community actually instigated an act of Congress — passed away at his Salt Lake home on Thanksgiving Day after an extended battle with kidney disease. Henderson was 60.

County Parks and Recreation employees sat down with the Deseret News Tuesday to chat about the man they'll remember as a friend, adviser and "consummate everything." Susan Kocher is an assistant section manager with the department and had worked with Henderson since 1987 — the year he hired her. She said she owed her career success to his guidance and support.

"He was a mentor and a role model and someone who always believed in me," Kocher said. "Whenever I said 'I can't,' he would tell me, 'You can too."'

Nilsa Carter is the associate director of community services for Salt Lake County and said Henderson will be "impossible to replace" and she will remember him for a kindness that "went far beyond his respect for his employees ... it was for everyone he came in contact with."

Department spokesman Martin Jensen said during his tenure with the county, Henderson had been director of the Parks Department and later the Recreation Department before taking over the division as interim director early in 2007. He was made the official director in May of this year. Jensen said one of the most notable events of Henderson's career was a negotiation with the U.S. Forest Service on collecting fees for the much-visited Millcreek Canyon. Henderson was able to convince federal officials that fees collected from canyon visitors needed to be applied to the maintenance and upkeep of the area — a practice that was eventually mandated in federal legislation that has since become widely used by agencies around the country.

Henderson is survived by his wife, Robin, and three sons.