Mrs. Henson and her husband, Richard (a teacher at Conner High School, Hebron) have been married 26 years and have two children. They are expecting their first grandchild in June. Their daughter served in the US Navy for four years aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and is currently attending Columbus State University in Ohio. Their son is serving in the US Air Force and is based at Robins AFB, Warner-Robins, GA. She is a widow from her first marriage to Hollywood, FL Police Officer Timothy E. Langley.
Mrs. Henson has been a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines for over 28 years, flying mostly international routes. She holds both a M.A. and B.S. in Political Science from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas and is a graduate of Spring High School, Spring, Texas.
She is quite active in the community, at Delta and her church. She was a Girl Scout Leader for seven years, active in sports clubs and boosters at Conner High School as well as supporting the drama department and band at Simon Kenton High School. She has taught Sunday School, directed Vacation Bible School and been a church camp counselor numerous times. Last year she and several other women from her church (Richwood Presbyterian Church, Walton, Ky) began Quilters For Comfort, providing quilts to families who have suffered property loss. She was a substitute teacher for 18 years and a volunteer Librarian and Band Director at St. Cecilia School, Independence. She has been recognized several times at Delta Air Lines as an outstanding volunteer and was selected by her peers to carry the Olympic Torch in the Torch Relay for the 2002 Salt Lake City games. Through Delta's Force for Global Good, she has participated in eight Habitat for Humanity builds and currently serves on Delta's Care Team, a specially trained group of employees prepared to respond in the event of an aircraft emergency. Mrs. Henson is also a volunteer transporter with the Delta Animal Rescue and Transport team. She is a Guardian Angel volunteer for the American Police Hall of Fame and sits on the Board of Directors for Quilt Outreach, Inc., a non-profit based in Cincinnati. Mrs. Henson served one term on the Independence City Council and ran for Kentucky State Senate in 2002 and was a founder of the Independence Annual Christmas Walk.
As a Major in the Civil Air Patrol, USAF Auxiliary, she divides her time between unit, state and national positions. "The missions of CAP mean a great deal to me," says Mrs. Henson, "providing a trained and ready emergency resource for our communities while working directly with youth is a fantastically rewarding combination." She has served for over 11 years.
As a trumpet and french horn player, Mrs. Henson taught herself to bugle and auditioned to join Bugles Across America, a volunteer organization dedicated to providing live TAPS for military events and funerals. "Unfortunately with my work schedule, I don't get to perform for our military personnel and veterans as often as I would like, but each time I am able, it is an incredible honor." She has had the privilege of rendering TAPS at Arlington National Cemetery during a national ceremony and at Quantico National Cemetery for her uncle, a career Marine, as well as the American Cemetery at Canterbury, England in honor of her mother's cousin who was lost at sea during WWII.
The Mrs. United States organization celebrates married women ages 25 - 65. The Mrs. United States pageant (and the local and State Pageants which precede it) is an event especially created to honor and give tribute to married women throughout the United States, and to provide an opportunity for married women to obtain a sense of well-being and self-confidence by achieving the recognition they so richly deserve and seldom receive.
"I will be in Las Vegas for five days during the pageant and look forward to many opportunities to share Kentucky's vibrant history, culture and people," offers Mrs. Henson. "There are so many amazing things to see and do here. It will be difficult to highlight just a few!"
Throughout her reign, Mrs. Henson plans to highlight volunteerism. "Our communities, neighborhoods and schools simply cannot survive without the volunteer," she says, "starting in our communities, getting to know each other and working toward common goals will enable us to build a stronger today and work toward a brighter future."