Bill Henderson was born in Alexandria Virginia. He spent his youth generally in the New York area, playing stickball in Brooklyn's city streets. Bill finally joined the armed forces to escape "freezing my ass off walking a mile through shoulder-high snow to catch the Tuckahoe School bus" while living with an Aunt in that area. After returning from serving in the US Air Force in WW II (with several noteworthy medals of which he never speaks) Bill finished his High School education at Belmont Senior High School in downtown Los Angeles (1946). He went on to earn a Bachelors's Degree in Fine Art from the University of Southern California in 1951 and a Master's in Arts from CSCLA in 1964.

 
Bill then began a long and fruitful career as an elementary school teacher while helping to raise 4 children and always continuing to create art (amongst his myriad other endeavors). Since his early retirement from teaching after 30 years Bill has remained extremely active as a full time artist. He paints daily at his studios in Anza, California and continues to explore new areas in artistic expression.