Friends of C.W. Henry School

Welcome to the Henry Hall of Fame, where we recognize and remember notable current and former Henry School alumni, teachers, parents, and friends.

Did we forget someone? Let us know! Please send your Hall of Fame nominations to cwhenryalum@yahoo.com.

Judith Anna Jamison (born May 10, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American dancer and choreographer, best known as the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Jamison began studying dance at age 10. She graduated from C.W. Henry School in 1957 and Germantown High School in 1961, and attended Fisk University at the age of 15 and the Philadelphia Dance Academy.  Info Source: Wikipedia

"Losing an audition was the best thing that ever happened to Judith Jamison. That's when legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, who watched Jamison try out for a television special in 1965, plucked the budding dancer to perform with his repertory company. Throughout the '70s, Jamison was the muse for some of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's most famous ballets, including the solo "Cry," which established her as the modern dance world's first box-office star. Today, she is the company's artistic director, an Emmy-winning choreographer (for a PBS special, "A Hymn for Alvin Ailey") and a Kennedy Center Honor recipient." Bio excerpt from: USAWeekend.com

 Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (born January 15, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American boxer. He is best known for his ten year reign as Middleweight World Champion in which he defended his title a record 20 times. He is the oldest man to ever hold the Middleweight Championship in professional boxing. Now he lives in Delaware. Info source: Wikipedia

Bernard Hopkins graduated from C.W. Henry School in 1979. Visit Bernard Hopkins Website.

Howard Temin won the 1975 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.  He grew up in Mt. Airy on Hortter St., graduated from Henry School, Central High School and Swarthmore College, and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He was a cancer researcher who campaigned against smoking.  A non-smoker who died of lung cancer at the age of 59.

More info about Temin at Nobelprize.org.

Sean Singletary (born September 6, 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an Americanbasketball player currently with the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. After being traded in a multi-player deal with his former team, the Phoenix Suns on December 10, 2008, he expectedly made his debut with the Bobcats on December 13.^[1]

Singletary attended C. W. Henry Elementary School in Mount Airy, Philadelphia and graduated in 1999. He went to high school at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia for his junior and senior years, but attended The Haverford School and then the Perkiomen School for his freshman and sophomore years of high school. He was also a superb high school football player, excelling at wide receiver, but gave up the sport to focus on basketball.

Info source: Wikipedia

The C.W. Henry School was named after Charles Wolcott Henry, a prominent businessman and community activist, who was born on October 18, 1852.

The school flourished under its first principal, Caroline P. Moffett, who had a nearly 30-year tenure. She founded a bird sanctuary in Carpenter's Woods and every year Henry school students performed the Henry School Bird Masque for the community. Info Source: MtAiryTimesExpress.com

"Beatrice Chernock, who was principal of Henry for 15 years, was the driving force behind the school's innovative and diverse curriculum. Under her leadership, it established one of the most prestigious and unprecedented Latin programs in the Philadelphia school district," Latin teacher James Villarreal says. Info Source: MtAiryTimesExpress.com

Richaleen Atterbeary was a pioneer in desegregating C.W. Henry School. When her son was school-aged in the mid 1920s, she attempted to register him at the school, but there were no African-Americans at the school at the time and she received negative feedback. But she persisted until she was successful and her son, Knowlton Atternery, became the first black child admitted to the C.W. Henry School. Read her full obituary here.

Mark Webber attended C.W. Henry School in the early 1990s and starred in the school play 'Oklahoma' before going on to the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He went on to act and produce in some major motion pictures including 'Animal Factory,' 'Snow Day,' and many more. He was also the subject of a major TV network news magazine story about his life and his struggles with homelessness. He has been a big homeless advocate over the years. Read more about Mark at imdb.com.

Sterling Simms graduated from C.W. Henry in 1996 and later landed a recording contract with Island/Def Jam Records. Read more about Sterling at Wikipedia.

Candace Allen graduated from C.W. Henry in 1997 and went on to become Miss District of Colombia in the 2006 Miss USA pageant. Read more about Candace at Wikipedia.