http://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/stories/120502dnmethensonob.9bb7.html
William Erwin "Tex" Henson: Former Disney animator who helped establish Chip 'n Dale characters
12/05/2002
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
William Erwin "Tex" Henson's long career in animation began in 1944 with Walt Disney Productions, where he became half of the story team that lifted the cartoon duo Chip 'n Dale to feature status, friends said.
On Monday the 78-year-old Mr. Henson was hit by a pickup after stepping off a curb in downtown Terrell. He was taken by helicopter to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he died of head injuries. The Dallas County medical examiner's office said the death was accidental.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Anderson-Clayton Brothers Funeral Home, 301 W. Nash in Terrell.
Mr. Henson was born in Dallas, where his family owned a publishing business, said Peggy Holton of Terrell, a longtime friend.
He got his nickname not from his native state, but rather from another North Dallas High School alum who shared his love of cartooning – Fred "Tex" Avery, who developed Bugs Bunny.
After graduating from North Dallas High School, Mr. Henson went to work for Disney in California, where he was a cartoonist for Song of the South, Mickey and the Beanstalk, Pecos Bill and Peter and the Wolf .
Mr. Henson's claim to fame was that he and another artist suggested chipmunks Chip 'n Dale become featured members of the company's staple of characters. Chip 'n Dale, who first appeared in Private Pluto in April 1943, went on to star in 23 theatrical cartoons.
After Disney, Mr. Henson worked in New York, where he helped draw Casper the Friendly Ghost. Later in Mexico, he supervised 180 artists working on The Bullwinkle Show, Underdog, King Leonardo and Tennessee Tuxedo for American television. The studio also produced Trix cereal commercials with a cartoon rabbit.
Mr. Henson also taught animation in the Dallas Independent School District and drew cartoons for a newspaper in Forney. He was always in the hunt for his craft.
"I think there's a lot of animation work starting to stir around this area – and I mean good animation, not this stuff you see now on Saturday mornings," he said in 1979. "I'm one of the old-timers in this business, one of the few left standing on my feet. And the thing is I can get the chance to be part of this new work. I can help them, show them things that can only be learned through years and years of experience."
In recent years, Mr. Henson lived in Terrell, where he continued to promote his craft to children and drew greeting cards for friends, Ms. Holton said.
Mr. Henson leaves no immediate survivors.
