You probably have at least one of his motor sport books on your shelves. If not, you will certainly have read his views, often trenchantly but always beautifully expressed, in Motoring News, Autocar, The Guardian, the McLaren website or any number of publications worldwide.
In a reign of quiet authority spanning five decades, Alan Henry was The Word. More than that, he was The Man; a gentle colossus striding across the paddock and gaining the ear of anyone and everyone of importance, but always ready to listen to anyone and everyone from a more humble station in the F1 firmament. The only qualification needed was a love of motor sport -- and a wry sense of humour. You could guess that from his authoritative pieces written with a twinkle in the eye and, in the early days, a cigar perched between his lips.
Alan was known universally as 'AH', thanks to the Motoring News habit of allowing their reporters no more than initials as a sign of an author's place in the cantankerous owner's scheme of things. AH didn't care about that. This was a job that he never really viewed as a job. He couldn't believe his luck when taken on as a reporter in 1970 to cover Formula 2 and actually be paid for it and given a car to travel Europe.
It was a step into a dream world from the drudgery of working for Barclay's Bank where the highlight had been looking forward to a weekend spent writing club reports for Autosport from Lydden Hill or Castle Combe, dropping the typed pages off in London and grabbing a couple of hours sleep before returning to telling of a very different kind across the counter.
He became F1 reporter at Motoring News in 1973 and editor five years later - by which time he knew everyone and, more important, they knew and respected him. His knowledge was encyclopaedic. If asked without warning who finished fourth in some obscure F2 race in 1972, he could not only provide the answer but also recite the chassis number and give an anecdote -- usually naughty and invariably hilarious -- about the driver in question. Or his mistress. Or his mother.
His extensive knowledge led to editorship of the Autocourse annual and the role of motor sport correspondent of The Guardian, a post that allowed AH to set himself apart by using his wisdom and contacts to provide an informed and frequently unique story line.
Underscoring all of this was a warm, kind and caring personality that endeared him to everyone. AH did not have a single enemy; a attribute that says everything about the rare ability in a ruthless business to perform an objective reporting role supported by the fact that this criticisms always had substance.
That respect and affection became concern in recent years when illness took hold, followed by an outpouring of heartfelt tributes from the F1 community and readers at the weekend when the news broke that AH had passed away at the age of 68.
Alan Henry was such an integral part of our world that it is just as difficult to image motor sport without him as it is to overestimate his enormous presence as a writer and much loved friend.