Men's Social Network 
 
Thought
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
 
- Matt 5:3-9
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dick Jensen 
Richard C. Jensen
Born ~ February 29, 1936
Died ~ August 15, 2010
Greetings!  
 
It is with saddened heart that I forward this information. If you are not already aware, Dick Jensen, long time member of the Men's Social Network, has passed. 
 
His life story is below, followed by many comments from friends and family - -
 
Richard C. Jensen, PhD born February 29, 1936, in Lone Rock, Iowa, died August 15, 2010, in Tucson.
 
The fifth of six children of Ernest and Esther Jensen, Richard grew up in Lone Rock. Always the scholar, he graduated first in his high school class, came west to the University of Arizona, and graduated Magna cum Laude in 1958.
 
He went on to earn his doctorate in Latin and Greek from the University of North Carolina in 1961, and then returned to accept a position in the Classics Department of the University of Arizona. He served as Chairman of the Classics Department in the 1970's, and he helped establish the Arizona Junior Classical League, but his real professional love was in teaching.
 
Richard taught Latin, Greek and Humanities at the UA from 1963 to 1991, earning "emeritus" in 1994. Engaged and engaging, he received many teaching accolades.
 
In 2009 a UA scholarship-the Richards C. Jensen Prize-- was established to recognize an outstanding Classics undergraduate.
 
In addition to teaching and scholarship, Richard was passionate about antiques and music. He was an authority on American antiques, gathering a formidable collection of early American furniture and art.
 
A tenor, he sang with such groups as the Arizona Opera Company, the Sons of Orpheus, the Tucson Symphony Chorus, and the choir of Trinity Presbyterian Church.
 
He also brought both his esthetic sense and his sense of humor to volunteer work as a docent at the Tucson Museum of Art.
 
Richard is survived by his sons, Joe, Mark (Kim) and John Jensen; grandchildren, Stephanie and Jeffrey Jensen and Travis and Lauren Jensen-Boswell; siblings, Marian Wald, Dorothy Mull, Helen (Stanley) Howe, Don (Karen) Jensen and Jerry (Peggy) Jensen, Judy Snipes Jensen; friend, Amritam, and a host of nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
 
He was a generous, sensitive, funny man who was genuinely interested in others.
 
A service celebrating Richard's life will be held Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University, with a reception immediately following.
 
In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations to Trinity Presbyterian Church.
 
Arrangements by HUDGEL'S SWAN FUNERAL HOME.
Closing 

Thank you Dick for your unconditional love. I will cherish our friendship forever. God sent you to me in a time of need. Running into Chrsitmas Eve 5 years ago was not chance. It was divine intervention.
Thank you for taking me to the opera. I love you and will miss you very much.

Ron Acosta,
Tucson, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uncle Dick shared music, art, laughter, joy, humor, antiques and love with me and my family. Thank you for the antiques that were chosen and given to us, always reminding me of you. We had great fun at the Minnesota Jensen Reunion, singing and laughing, enjoying your Ernest and Esther Poem just a few weeks ago. You will me greatly missed, but you have touched many lives in so many ways. Blessings and condolences to your family and friends. We rejoice for you now, in heaven, singing with the angels.

Love and Blessings,
Peggy and Jeff Waller

Peggy Waller,
Arvada, Colorado
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Jensen was both a good friend and a good colleague. He loved the Classics and he loved teaching. He made a significant contribution to the University of Arizona and many of his colleagues and students will long remember his learning, his humor and his friendship.

Norman Austin,
Ft Lauderdale, Florida
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a great honor to know Dick and to have the privilege of seen him teach Medieval Latin for ACMRS. We'll miss him and his wit and generosity.

Bob Bjork,
Tempe, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uncle Dick had many ways of showing us his love. One in particular was writing a personal poem, usually sung to a familiar tune like "Sweet Betsy from Pike", to share on our birthdays or other special events. Uncle, I will miss you and your sparkling eyes and sweet tenor voice.

Betty Allen,
Tucson, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My thoughts, sympathy and prayers are with you and your family Joe.

BJ Smith
Tucson, AZ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Professor Jensen was an unforgettable teacher. As an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, I took two of his courses and briefly entertained the idea of minoring in Classics. I enjoyed his classes so much that, after more than 40 years, I still have my copy of "Roman Life" on my bookshelf. It was a privilege to be his student.
With sincerest sympathy,

LaFon Phillips, Ph.D.,
Tucson, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dad was always there for us throughout his life. Reading Dr. Seuse, Whiney the Poo, Tom Sawyer, Guliver's travels, Greek mythology... He filled our lives with wonderful stories and joy, he patched up a million scraped knees, taught me to play trumpet, helped get mark ready for little league, shuttled us around for Cub Scouts or Indian guides, swim meets, go carting... he spent a lot of time on us. He was always a source of fun, encouragement, guidance, compassion. At times we made it challenging for him, but he never stopped being that kind of dad, friend, colleague, even to the moment he was leaving us.

I can only hope to be fortunate enough to see him again after my time here is over.

Joe Jensen,
Tucsin, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will always remember his sense of humor and support of his childrens love of music. I also remember when he took Mark and I skiing for the first time on Mt. Lemmon and the humorous stories he told on the way up......a fun, memorable day even though I could not ski worth a darn.

Steve Wymer,
Benicia, California 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The wonderful career of Dick Jensen is an important reminder that teaching must not be forgotten in a research institution. UA is a better place today because professors like Dick Jensen blazed a trail. Bless you, colleague! Thanks for so many good laughs and happy memories (in spite of all those boring committee meetings)!

Del Phillips
University Distinguished Professor
UA Department of Russian 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Jensen was my teacher, my mentor, and my friend. I will miss our Taco Bell lunches and his tree trimming parties. He was the finest of men and the best of teachers.

Patricia Davis,
Tucson, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard was my dear friend and piano student for 25 yeas. We often talked more than we played and shared many thoughts. In the past few years I would walk with him and then we would play the piano. I shall miss him more than I can imagine. We laughed and cried together. I'll play duets with him when we meet in Heaven. Much Love, Richard and to the whole family.
I am still on the East Coast so I will not be able to attend the Memorial. 

Kathryn Snodgrass,
Tucson, Arizona 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Dick Jensen was the sort of person who makes a university so special. Urbane and compassionate, earthy and intellectual, a person of taste and humor. He was the sort of character one gravitates toward in a group. With quiet and engaging wit, he appreciated the balance of a well turned line, whether it was in a piece of furniture, a poem, or a conversation. His was a life well lived.
~
Thomas Miller (Tucson)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
Our deepest condolences go out to Dick's family and his partner,  
 Amritam.

Sincerely,

Thom Goodrich
for the members of the 
Men's Social Network