Since graduating from Hobart College in 1944, Grady Jensen has distinguished himself as the quintessential Hobart Statesman. As a student, he earned his freshman numerals in football, played two years of lacrosse, was the literary editor of the yearbook and a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Upon graduation, Jensen joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a pilot, and subsequently enrolled in the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a Master of Business Administration degree in 1949.
During a distinguished business career that spanned nearly 50 years, Jensen held positions with Chase Manhattan, American Express, The Harwood Companies, New York University and Columbia University, retiring in 1996 as Executive Director of Senior Personnel Employment.
As a dedicated alumnus, he has served as an Alumni Trustee, Vice President and President of the Hobart Club of New York, Reunion Coordinator an impressive six times, a member of the Hobart Sesquicentennial Steering Committee and Class Correspondent. In 1984, and again in 1994, he was awarded an Alumni Citation for loyalty and service to his alma mater. He also remained connected to the Colleges through his daughter, Caroline Jensen Klein, who graduated from William Smith College in 1983.
Equally active in community affairs, Jensen was awarded the Scarsdale Bowl for volunteer service to the Village of Scarsdale, where he served as Mayor, Trustee and Police Commissioner, among other volunteer positions.
In 1992, as a result of Jensen's efforts, artifacts from The S.S. Hobart Victory, a World War II Victory ship, "came home" to Hobart College on a long-term loan from the Maritime Administration of the United States Department of Transportation. For years, as a self-described history buff and World War II veteran, Jensen wrote to the Administration asking for artifacts from the vessel if it were ever to be scrapped, which it was in 1992. Shortly after he donated the artifacts to HWS, Jensen hired a professional modelmaker to create a 16-inch model of the ship, which he also donated to the Colleges.
Contribution: Artifacts from The S.S. Hobart Victory, a World War II Victory ship, are on a long-term loan to Hobart College from the Maritime Administration of the United States Department of Transportation.
College Activities: Football, lacrosse, yearbook, Kappa Sigma fraternity, Alumni Trustee, Vice President and President of the Hobart Club of New York, Reunion Coordinator, Hobart Sesquicentennial Steering Committee and Class Correspondent
Other Education: B.A., Hobart College, 1944
Master of Business Administration, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 1949