Freddye Scarborough Henderson (1918-2007) was born in Franklinton, Louisiana, to Ophelia Magee Scarborough (1881-1970) and Reverand Alexander Jackson Scarborough (1891-1945). She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Southern University in 1937 and became the first African American to receive a Master of Science degree in fashion merchandising from New York University in 1950. She later taught home economics and fashion courses at Spelman College from 1950 to 1961. She served as a fashion editor for the Associated Negro Press and had two syndicated newspaper columns in several newspapers in the United States. She also was the first president of the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers. 

Jacob Robert Henderson (1911-1997) was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, to Jacob Daniel Henderson (1885-1954) and Margaret Butler Henderson (1889-1983). He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from South Carolina State A&M College and a master’s degree in economics from Atlanta University (later Clark Atlanta University). He worked for the Atlanta Housing Authority as the housing manager of John J. Eagan Homes, John Hope Homes, and University Homes. Jacob Robert Henderson served as the chairman of the Atlanta Urban League’s board from 1969 to 1974 and retained the title of President Emeritus of the organization until his death. He also was named Honorary Consul of the Republic of Senegal in 1982.

In 1941, Freddye Scarborough Henderson married Jacob Robert Henderson, and the couple had four children: Carole Henderson Tyson (1942-2025), Jacob Robert Henderson Jr. (1944-2010), Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey (1949-), and Shirley Henderson Coleman (1956-). In 1955, Freddye and Jacob Henderson formed a travel agency, Henderson Travel Service, which was the first Black-owned accredited travel agency in the United States. The travel agency coordinated several tours for African American travelers to Africa, Europe, and East Asia. The travel agency also organized Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s (1929-1968) trip to Oslo, Norway, where he accepted his Noble Peace Prize in 1964. Jacob Robert Henderson Jr. became President of the Henderson Travel Service in the late 1970s. In 1984, Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey took over as President and moved the agency to Washington, D.C., in 1987. She later started Henderson Associates, Inc., a tourism development consulting firm.