John Jensen, who died on October 18, 2018, at age 73, spent 36 years teaching in the Omaha Public Schools. He began his career as a math and physics teacher at Omaha Benson High School, and finished his career in 2003 as a curriculum specialist for math, science, and technology at Omaha South High School where he also coached students with independent research projects.
John also offered his expertise and leadership skills to other organizations and groups. He served on the Board of Directors for the Omaha Education Association (OEA), and was OEA president from 1982 to 1983. He was on the Board of Directors for the Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA), and was the Nebraska representative to the NEA Board of Directors from 1988 to 1996.
John was passionate about the economic well-being of educators, and served on the negotiation team for OEA for many years. In 1979, he became a trustee for the Omaha School Employees’ Retirement System (OSERS), and he served as OSERS vice president from 1985 until he retired in 2003. During his tenure with OSERS, he became involved in the National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR)—a national organization serving 68 state, local, and territorial pension plans. John was elected to the NCTR Executive Committee, and served as NCTR president from 2001 to 2002.
Early in his career, John was a part-time loan officer for the Omaha Teacher’s Credit Union. He later served on the Board of Directors for the Credit Union, and rejoined the Board after a merger with First Nebraska Credit Union to form First Nebraska Educators Credit Union. First Nebraska Credit Union now has assets that exceed $130 million.
From the mid-1980s until his death, John served on the OEA Foundation Board. The OEA Foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) corporation that manages donations to provide scholarships to students in the Omaha area. Last year the
Foundation awarded almost 100 scholarships totaling more than $380,000 to deserving students.
After retiring from the classroom, John served for several years on the Board of Directors for OEA-Retired, and was OEA-Retired president from 2007 to 2013. He was elected as Metro District director to the board for Nebraska State Education Association-Retired (NSEA-Retired), became active in NEA-Retired, and was elected to the NEA-Retired Executive Council. From 2011 o this year, John was the vice president of NEA-Retired. He was also elected regional vice president for the Alliance for Retired Americans. In 2013, John worked with the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) to establish annual forums that focus on properly funding public pensions.
NEA-Retired President Sarah Borgman said, “John will long be remembered for his zest in raising funds for PAC, his vast knowledge on pensions and retirement planning, and his work for public education. May his legacy inspire us all.”
John is survived by his wife, Sandy; son, Scott; daughters, Christine and Megan; five grandchildren; and numerous relatives and friends.
Memorial donations in John’s name may be made to the OEA Foundation, 4202 S. 57th Street, Omaha, NE 68117.
