Discussion of his life as described by Bill Jensen to Donna Musial
I was born in Kansas City on August 28, 1944 and was the oldest child. With 2 younger sisters, you could say I was the “prince” of the family. I stayed “prince” for many years, not a bad place to hold in a family structure.
I have a few early memories of my childhood, though not many. I recall having chicken pox and could not attend the kindergarten Christmas party. I cried about that, at 5 years old. Another early memory was from age 5 year when my youngest sister was born. Mom and Dad hired a German woman to take care of me and my younger sister while my mother was in the hospital. It felt like a long time to me and I did not like being so excluded from the family and having a new sister. These few memories trigger a lifelong feeling of being on the perimeter of things. I have always felt there was a piece of me removed enough to feel like the observer. It is probably the reason why I think of myself as an observer.
My dad was not around much of the time as I was growing up. When I was 6 years old, he started his own Manufacturing Engineering business and that took up most of his time. He had a large staff of engineers that he had to manage. His company supplied staff to other Engineering firms as well. Given that, I was mostly raised by my mother and to some extent, my grandparents.
Starting at age 7, I would spend my summers in Nebraska on my grandparent’s farm. I was joined by a sister and all of my other cousins. Since I was the oldest, I got to be boss.
My grandparents were farmers and active in their community. They sat on local farm and school boards as well as their church. They had a beautiful 2-story brick house build during the depression. I remember my grandparents as being very resourceful. They had a huge grove of black walnut trees on the farm. The trees all died of some sort of fungus. My grandfather built a saw mill and converted the dead trees into the timber needed to build his dream farm house. I remember that the black walnut was used for all the wood moldings and some of the furniture in the house. I spent the summers with my cousins as a young “gentlemen farmers”, not much labor involved but lots of space to play.
My parents moved to the suburbs in the summer of 1956. The new house had a lot of land and a big pond in the backyard. I remember ice skating and playing hockey on that pond as I was growing up. I was a Boy Scout like most of my peers at the time. As I got older I realized that my life was one of privilege. – membership in the country Club, a good all white high school and lots of pressure to succeed.
I was somewhat the hyperactive child and felt like a bit of an outsider at school, not a member of the “in crowd clique”. But I read a lot. It served me well then and still does today. I starting dating in 9th grade and had the same steady girlfriend from 10th grade through sophomore year of college. I found my own way, even though I was not a part of the ‘clique” – that feeling of being a part but not really being accepted.
My parents did not have a religion and they sent us to the “Church on the Corner.” I was involved in several different Christian youth groups as I grew up but none of them really resonated with me. I always liked observing people, helping others, reading and learning.
I graduated from the University of Kansas in 1966 with a degree in Business. I started as an Engineering major but advanced calculus and engineering physics turned me into a Business major.
In the summer of 1964, I had a summer job promoting a cleaning product for Procter and Gamble. I was going door to door in Valdosta, Tifton, and Americus Georgia. I did not realize what was going on around me as I drove thru black neighborhoods with my signs and loud speakers on top of my car with its Ohio license plates. I was frequently stopped by the local police and sheriffs taken to the police stations and told to leave town. Years later, I realized the local police were terrified that the clueless college kid (me) was in a very dangerous place and the police just wanted me to go away. This was the same time and place as the Shermer/Chaney civil rights worker murders. I guess you may say I saw things that some people call history. I can still remember walking down freedom alley in Americus. This is a story I would like to elaborate on separately.
After college to avoid being drafted, I enlisted in Army Officer Training School. I went to OCS in Aberdeen, Maryland and became a 2nd Lieutenant. The Army in its unique wisdom, assigned the worst 2nd Lt. ever to work as an OCS recruiter. I visited various college campus until the Army sent me to Korea. Working as an Army recruiter on college campus’ during the draft unrest is another story I would like to elaborate on.
I was very lucky in the Army. My original orders were for Da Nang, in Viet Nam. However, the North Koreans created the Pueblo incident and I was diverted to the DMZ in South Korea. I was assigned the task of being the Division Supply Officer for Signal and Ordnance. This is where I learned my trade in logistics.
Eventually, I completed my term of service and went to graduate school at the University of Kansas. I graduated with an MS in Business and Marketing Research in 1969. There I met Barb. The door to the best part of my life opened and we married in 1971.
Barb and I moved to St. Louis and I started working in her family’s business. Our son was born, we joined UU and our life together was moving forward. The family business was a chain of big box Hardware stores. My job was helping up operating and logistic systems. I left that job after 10 years and moved around the corporate world, Barb always by my side. My career was as a certified professional in the world of Logistics management. This field did not exist prior to the mid 70’s and I was part of the development of this field as it exists today.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about my priorities, what mattered to me and who I was. I came to appreciate and value the importance of family. Prior to that, I had bought into the corporate culture. It was, perhaps, the picture my father presented – successful but mostly absent from family. I realized my version of a successful businessman that I had previously aspired to, wasn’t really me. It was not who I was then and not who I am today.
I feel that I am a keen observer. I tend to see the potential of those around me. My awareness of the potential of those around me and helping them achieve results has given me a feeling of satisfaction. I pay attention to not just the everyday things but how they affect the big picture. I hope my insights help others make better decisions. I achieve the most satisfaction when I can help others to be more effective in what they are doing. I often question the things going on around me. I like to believe that I watch and listen. My contribution is just showing up and being there to help make things happen.
I see myself as a mediator, too, helping to fill in communication gaps. I like talking to people. They seem to enjoy talking to me as well. I gain insight when I talk to others.
My parents died in 2017. My Dad was financially successful and I am the beneficiary of his success. It is liberating to have this, yet I know it should be used to make the world a better place.
Spiritually, I am a work in progress. Currently I am not sure that God exists. However, I have a need for God to exist. There is a subtle difference here. I shape my spirituality on the premise that God or (a higher something) is necessary for me to forgive myself and others. I believe you must be comfortable with yourself before you can truly help others.