Raymond "Skip" Henderson

By Bruce Shawkey

I met Raymond "Skip" Henderson about 1986. He was (and is) a watch collector. He lives in New Orleans, and scours the antique shops along Royal Avenue in search of treasures. He also combs the local garage sales and flea markets. One time, he found an old lamp and lampshade. He inquired as to its origin. He was told the shade was made from human skin and was an artifact of the Nazi persecution of the Jews.

It was $35, and Skip bought it.  He held on to it for about a year and then decided to get rid of it. Said Skip, "I mean, you take it out of the box, man, people do not want to be in the same room as this thing."

Skip sent the shade to a friend in Brooklyn, Mark Jacobson, who writes for New York magazine. Jacobson paid $6,000 to have it tested at a leading genetics laboratory. The results confirmed every ones' suspicion. It was made from human skin.  The story ends there. Skip did not wish to have the lampshade returned to him.

Skip likes to collect vintage electric guitars in addition to watches. I think he particularly likes old Fender electric guitars. Skip embarked on another project to establish a museum in Mississippi for some of blues' original artists. He did not get very far in his efforts, encountering opposition from local politicians who were less than enthusiastic to the idea.

Enter actor Morgan Freeman, who came along and proposed the very same idea. Voila! Everyone was suddenly on board and the "Ground Zero Blues Club" was established in Clarkdale, Mississippi. It honors such artists as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, W.C. Handy and Ike Turner, to name a few.

Skip and I bought, sold, and traded watches over the years. Skip's tastes were quite eclectic and leaned toward the lesser-known brands. One watch I had in my possession is a LIP (French) watch in a long rectangular case (left). Good timekeeper. Nice burgundy leather band.

I eventually sold the watch because I was tired of trying to keep my vintage watches running. I have only three mechanical watches left in my possession and they are all modern pieces.

I was supposed to catch up with Skip several years ago in New Orleans when I returned from a cruise. However, I became very ill with pneumonia, and following a brief stay at Tulane Hospital, returned home.

Skip is an ardent crusader for social justice and works for a community coalition group. New Orleans is a actually quite poor community and is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina which hit in 2005. Most tourists never explore New Orleans beyond the French Quarter or the Garden District. Skip has a lovely wife, Fontaine, who I've never met, but maybe will some day.