Creator Of Bloomsday Logo Dies Of Cancer

The Spokane man who designed the official Bloomsday logo died at his home Tuesday of lung cancer.

Brian M. Henderson, 49, was named to the Bloomsday Hall of Fame earlier this year in honor of his artistic contributions to the race.

Henderson designed eight Bloomsday T-shirts since the race began in 1977 and also handmade medals given to some winners.

He became an avid runner after participating in the 1978 Bloomsday race, his wife said.

“We ran on our lunch hours ever since,” Candice Henderson said.

The logo of runners surrounded by flowering ribbons first appeared on the 1978 Bloomsday shirt.

Henderson worked in computerized mapping at David Evans and Associates Inc., an engineering consulting firm.

A co-worker broke into tears Tuesday as she described Henderson’s battle with lung cancer.

“Brian was so healthy. He ran constantly, rain or shine,” said Kerri Olson. “The fact that he died of lung cancer is so amazing. It’s just so unfortunate.”

In honor of his commitment to Bloomsday, his colleagues have made a bronze ring to be placed around his logo on a plaque near the finish of the race at Riverfront Park.

The ring will say, “Designed by Brian Henderson, Artist and Sculptor,” Olson said. A presentation will be made at 2 p.m. Dec. 1 at the park.

Henderson attended Gonzaga Preparatory School, where he and his wife went on their first date the day before her 16th birthday.

They both attended the University of Washington and were married in 1969. Henderson also earned a master’s degree in fine arts at Washington State University.

Since then, he and his family lived in Spokane. Both he and his wife hiked, biked, swam and ran.

Signs of his illness began showing during the summer of 1994 when he became increasingly short of breath, most noticeably during a trip to Glacier National Park.

“We were hiking up to a glacier and he couldn’t breathe,” Candice Henderson said.

He went to a doctor and tests showed that he’d developed cancer in both his lungs, she said.

“He was not a smoker, so it pretty much came out of nowhere,” she said.

The prognosis wasn’t good for Henderson but he continued exercising regularly even while undergoing chemotherapy.

“We all benefited from his attitude,” Candice Henderson said.

Brian Henderson is survived by his wife, twin daughters, Katrina Henderson and Callie Fried, 22; his father, Robert Henderson of Spokane; and four sisters.

, DataTimes