Aileen Kilgore Henderson
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Brief Biography
Aileen Kilgore Henderson was born and raised in Cedar Creek, Alabama. She experienced the impact of the Great Depression when her family moved to a farm in Brookwood, Alabama. After completing high school, she worked at the S.H. Kress store before joining the Women's Army Corps during World War II. Following her military service, she pursued higher education at the University of Alabama, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in education in 1950. Henderson taught school in Northport, Alabama, and Panther Junction, Texas, before meeting and marrying her husband, a park ranger. She accompanied her husband to different locations across the United States while volunteering and doing museum work. After earning her master’s degree in education from the University of Alabama in 1966, Henderson began her writing career. She published her first children’s novel, The Summer of the Bonepile Monster, in 1995 and continued exploring new genres, publishing magazine articles, short stories for adults, and even memoirs inspired by her experiences in Texas. She passed away early in 2023, at the age of 102.
Publications
The Summer of the Bonepile Monster. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 1995.
The Monkey Thief. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 1997.
Treasure of Panther Peak. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 1998.
Stateside Soldier: Life in the Women's Army Corps, 1944-1945. Columbia, S.C.; University of South Carolina Press, 2001.
Tenderfoot Teacher: Letter from the Big Bend 1953-1954. Fort Worth, Texas; Texas Christian University Press, 2002.
Hard Times for Jake Smith. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 2004.
Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: How a Geologist Shaped a State. Montgomery; NewSouth Books, 2011.
The Horses of Lost Valley. Bloomington, Ind.; AuthorHouse, 2016.
The World through the Dime Store Door: A Memoir. Tuscaloosa; University Alabama Press, 2020.
The Monkey Thief. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 1997.
Treasure of Panther Peak. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 1998.
Stateside Soldier: Life in the Women's Army Corps, 1944-1945. Columbia, S.C.; University of South Carolina Press, 2001.
Tenderfoot Teacher: Letter from the Big Bend 1953-1954. Fort Worth, Texas; Texas Christian University Press, 2002.
Hard Times for Jake Smith. Minneapolis; Milkweed Editions, 2004.
Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: How a Geologist Shaped a State. Montgomery; NewSouth Books, 2011.
The Horses of Lost Valley. Bloomington, Ind.; AuthorHouse, 2016.
The World through the Dime Store Door: A Memoir. Tuscaloosa; University Alabama Press, 2020.
Themes
Aileen Kilgore Henderson wrote children's novels, short stories, and memoirs. Themes in her works include mystery, family, and adventure.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Henderson, Aileen Kilgore, “Aileen Kilgore Henderson,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/604.