Alice Jensen

Alice Jensen comes from Panguitch down in red rock country, but a funny thing happened as she moved farther and farther north: she became more and more liberal.

Born into a well-off but orthodox LDS family, after graduating from high school, she set off for Ephraim and Snow College, about half way to Salt Lake City, . There she concentrated on home economics, English, German, and the theater. She stopped long enough to get married and raise five children, but then went back to school to complete what she had started. She graduated from Snow in 1952 and, moving still farther north, got her B.S. from BYU in 1953. Inching still closer to Salt Lake City, she worked as a teacher and counselor at Lincoln High School in Orem, obtained her Master's Degree from the University of Utah in 1966, and even completed her course work for a Ph.D. in psychology in Family Counseling. She worked as a counselor in the Orem schools for 29 years.

It has been in and around Salt Lake both during and after her career as a counselor that she has been an integral part of the liberal political scene. She was appointed by Governor Rampton to the Board of Alcoholism and Drugs, serving ten years, including seven as chair. She was also appointed by Governor Rampton to the Board of the Utah Mental Health Committee, serving five years. She has served on the boards of the ACLU and the Andrews Committee Against Capital Punishment. She was elected as the legislative representative from the Alpine School District, and also served as a delegate for Jimmy Carter at the National Democratic Convention in 1976

he list of her good work goes on. She worked with Dr. Lloyd Cullimore to found a halfway house for the mentally ill returning to society from the state hospital; she began the "Adopt a Grandparent Program" to pair eighth grade students with convalescent home residents for weekly visits; and she began a remedial reading program enlisting parents to attend and work together with their children under the supervision of teachers. She has received the Southern Utah COPE (Community on Political Education) Award.

Her five children have all followed in her footsteps, going on to college and working in jobs to make this a better life for others such as the mentally retarded, disabled, and people with AIDS. Julie Mayhew, a member of Humanists of Utah, is her daughter. Alice divorced after 43 years and lives near the capitol where she keeps an eye on the legislators. When she did get all the way to Salt Lake, she attended the Unitarian Church, where Hugh Gillilan was a breath of fresh air and where she learned about humanism.

While always remaining interested and active in politics, she also served for seven years on the board of the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, enjoys travel, and attends the symphony, ballet, opera, and theater. It may be obvious but she will also tell you, as a liberal, that she is more interested in this life than the next one.