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At a gathering in his honor at the University of
Miami’s Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, Jay Jensen said,
“There are two very important people here with me
tonight: my stockbrokers.” The room erupted with
laughter and applause because everyone knew that
Jensen, who has given nearly $3 million to the
University, is neither business tycoon nor heir.
Jensen, who received a Bachelor’s and a Master’s
of Education from the University of Miami, began
teaching at Little River Junior High in 1954 for a
salary of $3,250. He retired as a drama teacher from
Miami Beach High in 1991, never earning more than
$50,000. Yet through frugal living (he has never
owned or driven a car), decades of extra work, and
smart investments, he amassed a multi-million dollar
portfolio.
Jensen’s generosity to the University of Miami
School of Education, the largest private gift ever
to the school, endowed a scholarship for future
educators. “All of us are where we are because of
teachers and the education we received,” Jensen
stated. “We seem to forget that.”
Jensen has certainly not forgotten his
educational roots. In 1997, he gave $1 million to
the University’s Theatre Arts Department to create a
Visiting Artist Endowment which allows the
department to bring in well-known artists and
directors. In 1996, Jensen made a $1 million
contribution to the University’s Lowe Art Museum.
The gift provided for the creation of a
pre-Columbian Wing which was named after his mother,
Thelma Jensen. In addition to these contributions,
Jensen has given his alma mater twenty-six gift
annuities totaling over $250,000.
His involvement with the University of Miami is
just an extension of the work he does in the
community. As a teacher, philanthropist, and arts
enthusiast, Jensen leads by example. He has directed
plays at Temple Beth Sholom and the Miami Beach
Community Theatre. At the Miami Beach Senior
Citizens Center, the Hebrew Home for the Aged and
the Hope Center, Jensen works with the elderly and
the mentally challenged to “exercise their minds and
make them laugh.” In addition to his community work,
he is known as “teacher of the stars,” inspiring a
generation of students to love the theatre. Former
Miami Beach High student and actor Andy Garcia sums
it up best—a good teacher is “a partner who
nourishes and encourages. I was one of the lucky
ones for having Jay Jensen.”
When asked why he gives so much of his financial
resources, he quotes fellow Miami alumnus Jerry
Herman’s Broadway play Hello Dolly: “Money is like
manure. It’s got to be spread around to do any
good.” By all indications, Jensen is not yet
finished spreading his legacy around.
- D’Ann Tollett
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