Henderson George Leonard, 89, a professional painter who turned his painting company over to his son to manufacture hanging scaffolding that he designed, died Sunday, Feb. 10, of complications from a stroke in South Haven Healthcare Center in South Haven, Mich. Born in Mt. Bayou, Miss., Mr. Leonard moved with his family to Chicago in 1921. After his father became disabled in an accident, Mr. Leonard left Morgan Park High School to earn money to support his family by delivering newspapers. He later learned the trade of painting and worked on industrial and commercial jobs in the city. Mr. Leonard married in 1936. He, his wife, Hazel, and the family moved six years later to Covert, Mich. In 1945, he opened his own business in Michigan and started painting bridges on Interstate Highway 94, which was being built. To do the work, Mr. Leonard designed a suspended scaffold system that rolled along the bridge’s structural beams and allowed workers to move about without interfering with traffic below. He eventually opened his own manufacturing business, Swing-Lo Suspended Scaffold Co., in 1955. The company has since grown into multinational business. He is survived by three sons, Arnold, Steven and Phillip; a daughter, Muriel; two sisters, Alice L. Palmer and Alethea Skeleton; 16 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Services for Mr. Leonard have been held.
