Ruth T. Henderson Gets Her Corner

When Kevin Yarbrough struggled to wake up for school one morning, his grandmother Ruth T. Henderson had a surprise. She took a bowl of water, the very one set out for their house cat Miss Kitty, and flung its contents onto Yarbrough, who jolted out of bed. Sure enough, it was just the trick.

Yarbrough cited that memory as his favorite of his grandmother, whose legacy was commemorated by way of a street sign at the corner of Dickerman and Sperry streets.

The sign, unveiled on Saturday, was followed by a tribute to Ruth from her loved ones and was organized by her daughter Mignone Henderson. 

Ruth passed away at the age of 87 in July 2022.

Born and raised in Washington D.C., Ruth made her way to New Haven in 1955 after marrying her husband Larry Henderson. Here, she made her home on 26 Dickerman St. and never left, even becoming president of the Dickerman Street Block Watch. 

She was involved in community organizations like the Dixwell Community Management Team, the Police Review Board, and the Wexler Grant Grandparent Program. Her daughter Mignone praised her for her community spirit.

Ruth had a long list of accolades. She graduated from Grace Hospital (now Yale New Haven Hospital) as its first African American EKG Technician, and she went on to receive her Master’s in Social Work from Springfield College.

Ruth wore a lot of hats throughout her life. She was a manager at Yale New Haven Hospital for 24 years and also worked at the Forbes House, Hannah Gray Home, Cornerstone, and Grant Street Partnership and retired from Our Kids, a program under the Department of Social Services. 

Her efforts weren’t just limited to the clinical field; she also worked in group homes and performed community outreach. Ruth served as Youth Commissioner for the city in 2009 and was later appointed as a commissioner on the Commission for Equal Opportunities in 2012, remaining in that role for a decade. 

For Yarbrough, Saturday’s placement of the sign was intentional, serving to commemorate her long-lasting legacy in New Haven by paying homage to the neighborhood where it ​“all started.” It was with his help that Mignone pushed and advocated for the sign.

“This means everything to me because this is where it all started,” he said, pausing to collect his words. ​“That’s why it was important for me to get this sign. If she could do it while she was here she probably would have did it. So this a big thing for the block, for the whole city.”

He recalled her civic efforts, from leading a petition to install cameras on school buses to taking care of the neighborhood children.

“She was a good, kind person. She loved the community. She did everything for the community,” he said. 

Next to the memorial table for Ruth was Doris Davis, both granddaughter-in-law and family friend. Having known the family for over 20 years, Davis had many things to say about Ruth and recalled her passion for helping out the youth, lovingly calling her a ​“hood meemaw.”

“She may not have her name on some big building, but for her last name to live on in the town, as popular as the Henderson family is … that’s dope,” she said. ​“That’s really dope. That means a lot.”

Granddaughter-in-law Kori Henderson remembered Ruth by her playful nature, never passing up a moment to joke around. 

“She was crazy! She always was talking junk. One time me and her went to the courthouse and she tried to tell the police I stole her bag,” she said, before letting out a laugh. ​“I tried to tell the police that I was her granddaughter and they was looking at me like I was crazy. Like I done robbed the lady.”

Despite not being biologically related to Ruth, Natasha Duntfraid always viewed Ruth as her grandmother. Duntfraid’s relationship with the Henderson family goes all the way back to high school, when she met and befriended Ruth’s granddaughters. 

“Grandma Ruth is everybody’s grandmother. She was one of those types of people that loved everybody, and if you came around she treated you like family,” she said. ​“She was always loving, always strict, always honest.”

Duntfraid remembers not only Ruth’s words but also her cooking, like her staple fried fish paired with a leafy salad, which quickly became her comfort food. 

“You could always learn something from her because she was an open book, because she was always willing to teach. And let me tell you, she was a card, she was a pistol, she was spicy,” she said. ​“Don’t get it twisted, she was spicy. She would tell you off but love you at the same time, and you needed that from people because [it’s] that honest love.”

One of the granddaughters Duntfraid befriended was Lakeyda Henderson, who served as one of Ruth’s caregivers. Lekedya described Ruth as ​“dedicated,” saying that ​“her wealth was helping and giving to other people.”

Despite Ruth being diagnosed with dementia later in her life, Lekeyda recounted her sharp-witted nature, and her working at Wexler-Grant before the disease progressed in severity. 

Lakeyda attributed Ruth’s guidance with helping the family stay together, especially for her mother Mignone, who was navigating being a teen mom after having Lakeyda at 16.

“I really don’t know where we would have been without her … to me, she was like a mother,” she said. 

After everyone went around and shared their stories of Ruth’s legacy, it was time for the balloon release. Ruth’s niece Dawn Pointdexter led a prayer. 

Pointdexter attributed Ruth’s support to helping her navigate teen pregnancy and encouraged her to university and grad school. It was Ruth’s long-standing civic career that inspired Pointdexter to follow in her footsteps and be in social work. 

“1, 2, 3,” the group counted off, and off the purple balloons went. It was Ruth’s favorite color.