 Henry was born October 8, 1953 in Daviess County, Kentucky and graduated from Owensboro Senior High School in 1972, when he was a starter on the Red Devil's Kentucky Boys Basketball State Championship team led by Sweet Sixteen Tournament MVP, Jerry Thruston.He attended Western Kentucky University and was elected Student Body President in this second attempt, after losing a close election the preceding year to Jeff Costello.As President of the Student Government Association and as a Kentucky resident, Henry also served as a voting member of the WKU Board of Regents.