Tom Hendershot, former Prince George’s school board, council member dies at 82

Former Prince George’s County school board member, county council member and high school basketball coach Thomas Hendershot died Aug. 18. He was 82.

Hendershot, a Democrat, served on the school board from 1984 to 1987. During his time on the school board, he was a basketball coach at Bowie High School that won the county title during the 1992-93 season.

Hendershot was elected a member of County Council in 1997 where for nine years he represented council’s District 3, which includes Berwyn Heights, College Park and New Carrollton.

Hendershot’s son-in-law, Del. Andrew Pruski (D-Anne Arundel), said in an interview Monday that Hendershot dedicated his life to public service, off and on the basketball court.

“I’m only aware of [Hendershot being] the only school board member in the state that was the chairman of the board of education while also coaching a high school basketball team,” Pruski said. “There’s been a lot of former players who reached out. He encouraged a lot of people to get involved in public service. He was one of the happiest people you could ever meet.”

Council Vice Chair Eric Olson (D), who currently represents District 3, served on College Park City Council from 1997 to 2006, the same years Hendershot was on the county council. Hendershot was term-limited after two terms, and Olson won the election to succeed him. Olson served until 2014, and was returned to council in 2022.

“Tom was dedicated to Prince George’s County and its residents. He was a strong supporter of public education and county workers,” said Olson, who learned of the death from a reporter Monday. “He was a strong supporter of labor. His legacy lives on in his children, who are also public servants. My heart goes out to [Hendershot’s wife] Flo and his entire family.”

Born in March 1944 in Baltimore, Hendershot spent part of his childhood in Morgantown, West Virginia. The family moved to Philadelphia, where he graduated high school, but he went to college at West Virginia University, where he met his wife. Both graduated in 1966 with degrees in education.

Hendershot moved back to Pennsylvania to attend Villanova University Law School, and served as an aide to former Rep. William Green (D-Penn.).

According to the Washington Post, Hendershot became involved in Democratic politics, that included passing out fliers for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960 and for Robert F. Kennedy’s campaign in 1968.

Hendershot was a delegate to several Democratic National Conventions, including 1988 when he was a delegate for by Illinois Sen. Paul Simon.

During his time on county council in 2000, the Washington Post said that Hendershot’s law license in Maryland was suspended indefinitely after clients complained that he failed to represent them properly. Despite that, Hendershot remains viewed by former colleagues as somone who supported union workers, educators and who pushed for better healthcare in Prince George’s as a member of the Dimensions Oversight Committee. Eventually, the state-of-the-art University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Largo that opened in June 2021 replaced the much-older Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly.

“Tom Hendershot was a champion for Prince George’s County Schools and a leading advocate for labor. For years he had a major positive impact on the Prince George’s County Council,” County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (D), who served on council with Hendershot between 2002-06, said in an email Monday afternoon.

Hendershot is survived by his wife of 60 years and their four children – Thomas Jr., Emmett, Nathan and Roxanne – and 13 grandchildren. His obituary says a Celebration of Life service will be held Sept. 20 at the Greenbriar Terrace Community Room at 7600 Hanover Parkway, #101, in Greenbelt.