Awards & Scholarships

Joseph Jensen, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, took his bachelor of science degree in mining engineering at the University of Utah in 1908. Upon graduation, he became mining editor of the Salt Lake Tribune. He received his master of arts in geology and mining engineering from Columbia University in 1913 after doing postgraduate work the previous year in geology and mining engineering at the Royal School of Mines in Freiberg, Germany.

After working as a mineral inspector and mining engineer for the United States General Land Office between 1908 and 1916, he was made an associate professor of mining at Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1917, he began his 38 year career with Tidewater Oil and predecessor companies as chief petroleum engineer. 'At the time of his retirement in 1955, he was assistant to the Western general manager for Tidewater. Since 1924, he has been a consulting geologist for the· Southern Pacific Company, and he has served since 1949 as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Mr. Jensen is also a member of the Colorado River Board of California.

A member and past chairman of both the Los Angeles Engineering Council of Founder Societies and the local Section of AIME, he also belongs to the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Petroleum Club of Los Angeles.

On September 15, 1965, he was recognized by more than 900 Southern California business and civic leaders for his major role in the development of petroleum and water resources of the far West at a "Salute to Joseph Jensen" evening at the Hollywood Palladium. Other honors include being awarded the "1966 Distinguished Alumni Award" of the University of Utah Alumni Association, and being named "Los Angeles' Most Useful Citizen" in 1962 by the Los Angeles Realty Board with a citation for "leadership in helping the city combat its water shortage problems".