Clarance Henson

frame|rightClarance Edward Henson (1916–2003) was a radio engineer, entrepreneur and wartime developer of Long Range Navigational Radar (LORAN). He was born in Oil City, Louisiana, in 1916, to Louisa and Samuel Henson. After Samuel's death in 1921, Henson moved frequently, growing up in Smackover, Arkansas, Palestine, Longview, Henderson, and Kilgore in Texas before graduating from high school in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Education

An amateur radio enthusiast from a young age, he was educated at John Brown University where he worked at the university station, KVOH. He started to work as an engineer at WHAS radio in 1939 and left in 1960 to start his own companies. Henson worked with the RAF in London during Nazi Germany's V-1 and V-2 rocket strikes, where he helped triangulate bombing raids over enemy territory. He also worked with the RAF to set up the Indian Air Force's 51 Radio School in Bangalore.

Post-War radio career

Henson, with engineer Russell Warren and Bob McGregor, founded the Louisville Radio School in February 1946. In 1947, he founded, owned and operated Electronic Laboratories, a consulting broadcast engineering company. Bud Walters’ Cromwell Radio Group and WBNA TV were among those who sought his expertise. He was also part owner of another engineering company, CEPEDA Associates, which did contract work on the Navy's Seawolf-class submarine. and is an active defense contractor as of 2026.

He received the Kentucky Broadcasting Association's (KBA) Kentucky Mike Award to recognize his lifetime achievement in the broadcast industry in Kentucky.