This article was published in the Glenwood Post Independent. By
Two little pieces of Glenwood history have found their way home.
John and Cathy Jensen, both Colorado natives, have spent the past few decades living and working in various places around the country and the world — with John doing work at one point that’s known worldwide. In April, the pair returned to the Western Slope after 35 years away.
The Jensens originally came to Glenwood Springs independently of one another in the late 1960s to attend the newly minted Colorado Mountain College. Front Rangers by birth, John and Cathy were lured west by CMC’s beautiful, remote Spring Valley campus, nontraditional class schedule and progressive ideals. Cathy arrived in October 1967 for the college’s inaugural year.
“A friend of mine in Denver saw a small ad in the paper about something called the Colorado Mountain College,” Cathy said. “I contacted them, and they sent me information about the different programs they were going to offer. At that time they had a two-year applied science degree in commercial art; my dad was a printer, so I thought I could do that and work for my dad. I met a great bunch of friends at school, and John was one of them. That was how we met.”
Cathy holds the proud title of first CMC graduate. Ever.
“In those days, the graduation ceremony was alphabetical. And my maiden name was Abegg, so I was first in line,” she said.
After Cathy’s graduation, the Jensens married and relocated to Fort Collins, where John attended Colorado State University and earned a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design. The couple later found work in Lincoln, Nebraska, but left in the mid-1970s when John took a position with the CBS affiliate station (then KMGH-TV) in Denver. Click for full article.