Hendrickson honored for 47 years on county board

By Valorie Brecht Wayne Hendrickson has been recognized for 47 years of service to county government, serving on the Clark County Board of Supervisors since 1976 and acting as board chairman for 29 of those years. He is the supervisor for District 16, which includes the town of Unity and a little less than half of the town of Colby.

Hendrickson was honored at the county board meeting last Thursday, receiving plaques from the Wisconsin Counties Association and Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation and words of appreciation from several colleagues.

“In his role, he demonstrated dedication, integrity and a commitment to both the county and to the taxpayers. Serving on many committees at the county and state level, he has been a leader in every since of the word, exemplifying the definition of ‘public servant,’”wrote Mark O’Connell, president of the Wisconsin Counties Association, in a statement.

“Wayne’s leadership, expertise, friendly demeanor and common-sense approach has been admired from his peers across Wisconsin,” O’Connell added.

During his time on the county board, Hendrickson served as a member and chair of many committees and boards including the fair board, finance, executive, agriculture and extension, law enforcement, public property, mining, health, solid waste, building, local emergency planning commission, administrative review appeals board and the educational, technical and vocational schools committee. He served as highway committee chair for 36 years, working closely with the Wisconsin County Highway Association and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Even for the committees he was not actively serving on, Hendrickson would periodically attend meetings to be in the loop and provide input.

“I will miss the full county board meetings and committee meetings — they were always fun and interesting. I always said that was my hobby,” said Hendrickson, who’s a retired dairy farmer.

Hendrickson has also been an active member of the Wisconsin Counties Association, serving on various committees.

In addition, he served on the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation Board of Directors from 1994-2000 and from 2002 to present, and served on many associated committees, including the audit committee, claims advisory committee, operations oversight committee and underwriting advisory committee. Hendrickson said he particularly enjoyed serving on the claims committee and getting to hear from the 17 other committee members from across the state about what was going on in their counties.

“He made a profound impact on the member

Please see Hendrickson, page 8

Wayne Hendrickson poses for a picture with his family members, who attended the Feb. 15 county board meeting to celebrate Hendrickson’s 47 years on the Clark County Board of Supervisors, including 29 years as chairman.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO

from p. 1 counties through his leadership and common-sense approach to providing strong insurance coverages and services to member counties,” wrote Willie Johnson Jr., president of Wisconsin County Mutual, in a statement.

“Wayne, you bring a lot of insight and a lot of humor to conversations that could otherwise get a little dark. You will be missed,” added Brian Knee, vice president of claims and litigation for Wisconsin County Mutual.

Hendrickson’s government service actually predates his time on the county board. In 1969 and 1970, he served as assessor for the town of Unity. Given his knowledge of the town, he decided to run for chairman of the town board in 1971, was elected and has been in that position ever since, a 54year run.

He got started on the county board in 1976 when the supervisor for his area approached him. “He told me, ‘Why don’t you run? I’m going to quit,’” said Hendrickson. “So I did. I ran against someone else and won, and got on and I’ve been on ever since.”

Hendrickson was serving as county board vice chair when he decided to run for chair. At that time, 16 new supervisors were being added to the county board because dual districts, such as the one covering the towns of Unity and Colby, were being split apart.

“I thought with so many new supervisors coming on, that maybe I had a chance. So I talked to some people and I was voted in as chair,” Hendrickson said.

Hendrickson was modest about his contributions to Clark County government.

“I never looked at successes, I just tried to keep the county running smooth and make sure we had good employees,” he said.

Hendrickson was also honored in a resolution passed by the county board in January and signed by both the president and chairperson of the Wisconsin County Highway Association.

Resolution 03-2024 states, “Mr. Hendrickson’s unprecedented years of service to his County and Town has demonstrated the utmost dedication and effort to make Clark County, the Town of Unity and the State of Wisconsin a better place to live and work.”

The most recent county board meeting took place on Feb. 15, which was also Hendrickson’s birthday. County board members and community members celebrated with cake and other refreshments after the meeting.

Hendrickson’s last official county meeting will be the reorganizational meeting April 16 at 9 a.m. at the Clark County Courthouse, at which county board members will vote for a new chairperson. Hendrickson plans to continue chairing the Town of Unity Board.

Above, Wayne Hendrickson receives an Award of Recognition from fellow county board member Joe Waichulis, in honor of his 47 years of service on the Clark County Board of Supervisors.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO

Above left, Sarah Diedrick of the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) reads a commendation to Wayne Hendrickson for his many years of service as Clark County Board chairman, joined by (l-r) Keith Langenhahn of WCA, and John Dirkse, Brian Knee and Karen Flynn of Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation. All attended the Feb. 15 county board meeting to honor Hendrickson. Above right, Dirkse personally congratulates Hendrickson.