GEORGE HENSHAW / FORMER POW
Designer built sets
for ‘Five-0,’ ‘Magnum’
George Herbert "Buck" Henshaw, a World War II prisoner of war who went on to become a set designer for television shows including "Magnum P.I." and "Hawaii Five-0," has died. He was 85.
Henshaw died Wednesday at the Queen's Medical Center, according to a news release from his publicist. The cause of death was not released.
During his 12 years as a set decorator, Henshaw designed for the shows of George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Ralph Edwards, Red Skelton and Carol Burnett. He earned two Emmy nominations for his work, first in 1957 for "Playhouse 90" and then in 1982 for the pilot of "Tales of the Gold Monkey."
While attending Punahou School, Henshaw worked as a student reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. After graduating from Stanford University, he returned to the paper as a columnist.
He later volunteered and was accepted at the Naval Officer Candidate School in Annapolis, Md., and was assigned to Wake Island as a communications officer after graduation.
When Wake Island surrendered to Japanese forces in 1942, Henshaw became a prisoner of war until 1945. Upon his release, he was commended by President Harry Truman and promoted to lieutenant commander.
After the war, Henshaw was living in Los Angeles when he got a job as an usher at CBS Studios before entering the field of television and working on set design.
Henshaw also was a musician who wrote about his love of Hawaii in the songs "Hula Breeze" and "Our Last Aloha."
Henshaw is survived by his close friend and associate of 35 years, Wally White, and by a niece.
