Jan Hensley
Jan G. Hensley began acting as a student at Mars Hill College. While achieving mightily as a professional photographer, he remained true to his early infatuation, performing hundreds of roles with various professional and non-professional groups in North Carolina for more than 45 years.
He appeared annually in the Greensboro Ballet Company’s presentation of The Nutcracker, was an early member of the Touring Theatre Ensemble, and a supernumerary in numerous Greensboro Opera productions. Highlights were his performances at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in UNCG’s production of The Oresteia and in the world premiere of Peter Paul Fuch’s opera, The White Agony.
Some years ago he had a chance meeting with Eudora Welty, which brought a new focus into his life. It was the beginning of a deep interest in writers. It was also the beginning of a continuing project to meet and to photograph them for posterity. Among his major collections are photos of Eudora Welty, Fred Chappell, Reynolds Price, Lee Smith, and William Styron. As the collection grows, plans are to publish them in a book that is certain to become a coffee table staple,keeping his photographic prowess alive for future generations.