By JAMES EIK
Staff Reporter
The Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch dedicated a large sign in front of the property in memory of two brothers and a friend who died in the Vietnam War.
Made by Jensen family members, the sign includes the names of Dana and John Jensen as well as their friend Dannie Turnbull. The brothers died three days apart from each other in the war in 1969.
Evolving over nearly eight months, the sign was part of the initial announcement of the ranch's creation three years ago. Carl Grub, the current owner of the land, donated 105 acres of his property to help create the ranch, which previously belonged to the Jensen family.
“It turned into a bigger project, which is bound to happen with us,” Steve Backus, a member of the Jensen family, said.
Backus said that his mother, Judy McVay, was the one who pushed for the sign's completion.
“Mom is the tenacious one that was the ramrod in the background,” he said. “She will make a bulldog fall upon its sword.”
Although most of the work is finished, the sign is far from complete.
“Over the years, we'll add to this,” Backus said. “For us it'll be a never ending project to help make this farm a legacy, which it is. It's that whole big circle of life thing, and we're just standing in one footprint of it.”
The next addition to the sign will take place on the back, which is essentially a blank canvas. Current plans include a farewell message for visitors leaving the ranch. The posts on the front will likely have an animal sculpture in front of each one.
Although there are tentative ideas in place, nothing is set in stone.
“We're artists, we don't make plans,” Backus said.
Honor Guard members were present at the sign's dedication July 16, along with a crowd of family and friends, as well as 4-H Club members.
“It's a bit of a memorial, it's a bit of a patriotic thing,” Backus said.
“In the 40 years since John and Dana passed away, it's had a tremendous impact on the family. The ripple went through to this day,” he said. “To acknowledge it in a public sort of way is a little bit of the healing process.”
The mission of the Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch is to provide learning and social experiences for youth through 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America projects.
“It keeps the parents and kids together, because the parents have to be with their kids at the ranch,” Larry Reno, a friend of the family, said.
The ranch now serves 30 to 40 youth members.
“(The ranch will) be an ongoing story,” Backus said. “We'll make positive things come out of it.”
At the dedication, the previous white sign was still in front of the newer one.
The Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch is located at 3312 South Ritchey Road. For more information on the ranch, contact Carl Grub at 299-3810 or 979-5926.
James Eik can be reached at [email protected].
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