There are many words that you could use to describe Cathryn “Cat” Jensen- enthusiastic, out-spoken, eclectic, hard-working, atypical, funny, kind etc. Her essence might be summed up by the word “unconventional.” Suffice it to say that the Rotary Club of Rochester SW is absolutely thrilled to claim her as our newest member.
Cat lives in Avon, NY and is a native of Owego, New York. Early in life Cat realized that she was a bit different from her peers. Now, Owego is a small and relatively homogeneous town! Being viewed as different in 1970s, was quite possibly even more challenging than it is today!! ! You see, Cat realized early on that she was attracted to girls and, believe it or not, she was very passionate about cats- the feline variety!! Both of these traits hold true today!! In fact, Cat owns 2 vehicles with personalized license plates, one says CATWOMYN (this would be the feminist spelling of women), and the plate on her vintage Pontiac convertible says KULKITYY. After high school, Cat pursued a career in law-enforcement. She started young, but this allowed her to retire at age 50. Initially, she was a corrections officer, but she later became a sharp shooting instructor!! If you know Cat, you might not find this surprising!! Anyway, Cat got her undergraduate degree from the Univ. of Buffalo and continued her education remotely at Kaplan University in Florida, where she got a graduate degree in Criminal Justice! To say that Cat has embraced her retirement would be a bit of an understatement. She has taken this time to do wonderful things in her family, in her community and in Rotary.
Although Cat has only been a Rotarian for three years, her efforts have been well recognized! She was a rookie of the year, and this past year she has been Rotarian of the Year as well as a Paul Harris award winner. Currently, she serves as the district chair for the Rotary Friendship Exchange. Cat has not let a whole lot of grass grow under her feet, that’s for sure!! We are positive that will continue to be true in Rochester Rotary SW!!
Cat was adopted as a baby, but about four years ago she did connect to her birth family. She is particularly close to a brother, Chris, and sees him a couple times a year. Interestingly, Chris grew up in Waterloo, not far from Owego, and Cat had cousins there with whom she regularly visited. Interestingly, Chris hung out with Cat’s cousins, and, so, in all likelihood, the 2 of them met as children. Cat really considers her connection to Chris to be a seminal moment in her life!
We welcome Cat and look forward to embracing her enthusiasm and energy for RCRSW projects!! She is very much about helping people generally and building social capital! Cat was attracted to our club because of its great diversity and its reputation for really doing “the work!” Thanks for joining Cat!!!
