PLYMOUTH, MN
He was the first student from St. Olaf to participate in the Study/Service Program in South Korea, an experience that spurred his passion for peace and justice issues at the international level. Following graduation from St. Olaf, he joined the Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa, and was awarded the first Sargent Shriver Peaceworker Fellowship at Georgetown University. He was also the recipient of two Foreign Language Fellowships, a Fulbright Scholarship and a MacArthur Scholar Award.
Kloeck-Jenson met Barbara Kloeck while in the Peace Corps; they were married in 1990 and had two children, Zoe and Noah. While he was a student at the University of Wisconsin working on his doctorate in political science, he and his wife and children were killed in a car accident in South Africa in June 1999 while on a short vacation from his work in Mozambique. At the time Kloeck-Jenson, was the project director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Land Tenure Center Program.
His family and friends have created the Kloeck-Jenson Endowment for Peace and Justice Studies at St. Olaf. The endowment provides funding for academic initiatives that encourage a deeper study of peace and justice issues, providing a valuable opportunity to inspire future generations to become full participants in making peace a driving force around the world. A fellowship program has also been established at the University of Wisconsin in his memory.
For his vision and commitment to peace and justice, and for the life he lived, Kloeck-Jenson is a worthy recipient of the Wayzata High School Distinguished Alumni Award. His parents will accept the award on his behalf.
Watch the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award ceremony on ED’s TV, the West Metro Educational Cable Channel:
–Saturday December 13 at 11:35 a.m.
–Saturday December 13 at 9:35 p.m.
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