Message on the passing of Dudley M. Jensen
Provost Michael R. Halleran sent the following message to the campus comuity Nov. 14, 2018. - Ed.
Dear colleagues,
I write to share the news that Dudley M. Jensen, Professor of Kinesiology, Emeritus, died on September 14, 2018.
Professor Jensen was born in Schenectady, NY on August 25, 1925 to Leslie M. Jensen and Kathryn Chamberlayne and graduated from Bourne (MA) High School in 1943. After graduating, he served in the Army Air Corp, Coast Guard Reserves and Air Force Reserves. He continued his education at Springfield College where he graduated in 1950 and entered Columbia University and graduated with honors in 1951. He did post-graduate work at both the University of Virginia and William & Mary.
Professor Jensen joined William & Mary as an Instructor of Physical Education in 1951. He retired in 1999 as a Professor of Kinesiology, Emeritus. He was the W&M swim coach from 1951-99 and his swimmers kept in touch with him throughout his life. He received the W&M President's Award, established swimming scholarships in honor of students who died young, and was a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame. His life of dedication to both W&M and the communities he lived in was unsurpassed. For 45 years, he was a member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials and the Red Cross Hall of Fame for life saving.
Jensen was a Lay Minister for 20 years at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, VA, as well as a Vestry for three. In Massachusetts, he was a lay reader and usher at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Buzzards Bay, MA. He was an avid historian and was able to tell the history of Bourne from colonial days to the present. He was president of the Bourne Historical Society for two terms, assistant General Manager and historian for the Bourne Braves, on the board of the Bourne Society for Historical Preservation and a member of the Bourne Planning Board. Whether in Williamsburg or Bourne, he was always community-oriented and dedicated to the well-being of his family, students and his communities.
His wife, Vivian, whom he married in 1954, predeceased him in June of 2017. He is survived by his daughter, Nancy Jo Weston, and her husband Peter Weston. Also surviving him are his nieces, Mari, Patricia, and Dina LoNano. A service was held in Bourne in late September. For online condolences please visit www.nickersonbournefuneralhome.com.
A tribute to his work at W&M can be found here: https://tribeathletics.com/news/2018/9/19/mens-swimming-and-diving-w-m-mourns-passing-of-hall-of-fame-swim-coach-dudley-jensen.aspx
Sincerely,
Michael
