WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11
NEWS
Bob Jenson: May 11, 1931 - Jan. 6, 2018
Elder statesman leaves lasting mark
Lawmaker won
races as Democrat,
Independent and
Republican
By KATHY ANEY
STAFF WRITER
The Dean of the House
has died.
Bob Jenson, who died
Saturday at age 86, served
18 years and nine terms in
the Oregon House of Rep-
resentatives until he retired
in 2015. The Pendleton leg-
islator, who also covered
half of Hermiston for much
of his time in the House,
started his fi rst term in 1997
and served so long his col-
leagues dubbed him “the
Dean of the House.”
“He was unique in that
he ran as a Democrat, as an
Independent and as a Repub-
lican,” said former state Sen.
David Nelson. “He won
every time.”
Jenson’s wife, Eve-
lyn, remembers her hus-
band wrestling with the idea
of changing his political
affi liation.
“He was a Democrat at
heart, but he recognized that
it wasn’t a good fi t with his
district,” Evelyn said. “He
tried to be an Independent,
but that leaves you bereft of
any infl uence.”
He did, however, get a
kick out of being “a caucus
of one.” Neither of the par-
ties completely fi t Bob, she
said — fi scally, he was more
conservative and socially,
he leaned left. He seemed
unfettered by party lines.
Evelyn
still
hasn’t
wrapped her head around
the idea that her beloved
husband of 46 years is gone.
The normally clearheaded
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Rep. Bob Jensen sits on the Ways and Means committee
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, in the state capitol in Salem.
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Former Rep. Bob Jenson stands in the House of Representive chambers in Salem shortly
before retiring after nine terms in the Oregon House of Representatives.
Evelyn says she’s feeling
fuzzy and disoriented as
she grapples with the loss.
Their large close-knit fam-
ily is unmoored. Even the
dog, a Chesapeake Bay
Retriever who spent recent
weeks camped out at Bob’s
bedside, wanders around the
house looking confused and
unsettled.
“She’s been inconsol-
able,” Evelyn said.
Their family — four chil-
dren, 11 grandchildren and
13 great-grandchildren —
fl owed in and out of Jen-
son’s Pendleton home on
his last day. His death ended
an on-and-off struggle with
cancer that lasted fi ve years.
His time in the Oregon
Legislature came later in
life. Jenson, who grew up on
a Montana ranch and served
in the U.S. Air Force, taught
sociology and history for
26 years at Blue Mountain
Community College.
Bob and Evelyn met at a
teachers’ training in Colo-
rado and fell in love. Evelyn,
who also taught at a com-
munity college at the time,
decided to change to social
work when they got mar-
ried, thinking it would be a
bad idea to work together at
the college.
She laughs about that now.
When Jenson fi rst arrived in
Salem in 1997, Evelyn came
along to manage his offi ce
and serve as her husband’s
fi rst line of communication
for lobbyists and constitu-
ents. The capitol was Bob’s
natural habitat, she said, and
he had all the right qualities
to succeed.
“He was bright and delib-
erate and caring,” she said.
“He tried very hard to be fair
to all sides and he always
tried to listen.”
State Sen. Bill Hansell,
R-Athena, agrees with that.
As a Umatilla County com-
missioner, Hansell worked
with Jenson for many years
before joining him in the
Legislature in 2013. He
called Jenson a close per-
sonal friend and a man of
integrity.
“First and foremost he
voted for what he thought was
best,” Hansell said, citing Jen-
son’s support for local edu-
cation, agriculture and other
regional issues. “His heart
was in Eastern Oregon.”
A centrist who didn’t
always toe the partisan line,
sometimes his non-confor-
mity got the lawmaker in hot
water with his own party. In
2010, some predicted Jen-
son’s political demise after
he voted with Democrats to
put two budget-balancing
tax hikes on the ballot (Mea-
sures 66 and 67). Ultimately,
he kept his seat.
He continued to pick his
battles carefully, focusing on
such issues as water, educa-
tion, mental health and, near
the end of his career, wolves.
He got a reputation for being
crusty and courageous.
In 2009, Jenson got
some press after he, the
elder statesman, worked
to fi nd a solution for water
issues with Jefferson Smith,
a young, green Demo-
crat from Portland. They
became “the Odd Couple,”
a two-member subcommit-
tee on water resources who
put together a water bill that
brought irrigation dollars to
Jenson’s district.
On
Monday,
com-
ments fl owed from Salem
and beyond about Jenson’s
legacy.
Gov.
Kate
Brown
tweeted, “Bob Jenson was
a dedicated public servant
and beloved by many here in
Oregon. He will be missed!
Sending our thoughts and
prayers to his family and
loved ones.”
Rep. Greg Barreto, who
won the seat after Jenson’s
retirement, offered con-
dolences to Jenson’s fam-
ily and thanks for helping
during his fi rst term as a
representative. “For years,
Bob stood as a pillar of our
district. He gave so much
to our friends and neigh-
bors over the years, and will
be remembered fondly by
many,” he wrote.
House
Republican
Leader Mike McLane called
him “a true illustration of
what it means to be a servant
leader.”
Rep. Greg Walden wrote,
“Bob Jenson served Eastern
Oregon thoughtfully, effec-
tively and with great civility.
I valued his friendship and
his counsel over the years as
we worked together on fed-
eral and state issues.”
Pendleton Mayor John
Turner, former president of
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College, called Jenson
a mentor and champion of
community colleges who
made sure community col-
leges got their fair share of
state funding.
Jenson, a master card
player, moved his role as
strategist to the bridge table
after retirement. He focused
on his family, his annual
Alaskan fi shing vacation
and trips to the family cabin
near Lostine. This year, he
served as chairman of the
local Gideons International
chapter and president of
the Peace Lutheran Church
council.
Just before he retired,
Jenson did a little self-as-
sessment about his time in
Salem.
“Like everyone who
comes down here, I proba-
bly had visions of grandeur,”
he said. “I think I’ve made a
little difference.”
____________
Daniel
Wattenburger
contributed to this story.
BMCC nursing and dental students pass en masse
HERMISTON HERALD
The high fi ves are fl ow-
ing at Blue Mountain Com-
munity College.
Each and every student
in BMCC’s Class of 2017
Nursing and Dental Assist-
ing programs passed his or
her board examinations on
the fi rst try, giving BMCC a
100 percent pass rate in both
programs.
All 19 nursing students
who graduated in June from
the program, passed the
National Council Licensure
Examination
(NCLEX),
a standardized exam that
every state board of nursing
uses to determine whether or
not a nursing program grad-
uate is prepared for nursing
practice.
Graduates must pass the
NCLEX to earn a registered
nurse license.
All 19 graduates passed
on the fi rst attempt. Only
three of Oregon’s 16 com-
munity college nursing pro-
grams had a 100 percent
pass rate for 2017.
In addition, all nine
BMCC
dental
assist-
ing graduates passed their
national board exams. In
Oregon, dental assistants
are not licensed, but must
be certifi ed in order to take
x-rays or to perform certain
expanded functions.
BMCC Dental Assist-
ing graduates have the abil-
ity to become certifi ed den-
tal assistants through the
Dental Assistant National
Board (DANB) by taking
three national examinations
and one Oregon examina-
tion. Employers prefer job
candidates with a DANB
certifi cation, so those who
pass have an edge over other
potential candidates.
BMCC’s Nursing pro-
gram is a member of the Ore-
gon Consortium for Nursing
Education, a shared curricu-
lum with Oregon Health and
Science University.
BMCC students are
co-enrolled with OHSU and
offered the same classes at
a much lower tuition rate.
BMCC graduates can begin
working as a nurse imme-
diately, and if desired, may
complete one additional
year of study online to earn a
bachelor of science in Nurs-
ing from OHSU.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY CASEY WHITE-ZOLLMAN
Janet Lomas, a recent graduate of the dental assisting
program at Blue Mountain Community College, is currently
working for Dr. Ryan Wieseler at Desert Dental in Hermiston.
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