Perris S. Jensen is old enough to remember when Utah celebrated its first Olympic moment. The hoopla over gold medal-winning Alma W. Richards in 1912 left an indelible mark on Jensen's then-10-year-old mind.
Now at age 99, Jensen is after a more personal Olympic moment. He wants to carry the Olympic torch when it comes to Utah next year. More specifically, he wants to carry it on Feb. 5, 2002, the day he'll celebrate his 100th birthday.
"I think that would get me some publicity," said Jensen, who lives in Sandy with daughter Arlene Brockbank. "Some will probably say I'm a showoff."
Jensen said at first he thought his son Wendell Jensen's idea was "crazy." But it has grown on the whole family, which Perris Jensen reports numbers more than 170. Wendell Jensen contacted the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and submitted a formal application for his dad.
"He would probably be the only 100-year-old man in Utah, or anywhere, to do it," Wendell Jensen said. "If he appears a little feeble, I assure you, he's not.'
Perris Jensen does about an hour of exercise daily. Half of that is spent doing stretching and toning exercises on the floor, followed by a brisk walk of 30 minutes or more. Sometimes, he jogs. And since the Jensens hatched the Olympic torch idea, Perris Jensen has been in "training."
"I've been trying to lengthen my stride, going faster and a little farther," he said. "I think I can make it, if I should be selected."
Some 11,500 Americans, 900 of them Utahns, will share the honor of carrying the torch. Applications are being accepted through the end of April and will be judged by citizen panels in cities along the 13,500-mile torch route. So far, SLOC officials have received more than 12,000 applications, and an unknown number has been collected by sponsors Coca-Cola and Chevrolet. Those selected to carry the torch will be notified in late summer, SLOC spokesman Mark Walker said.
With all that interest, Jensen may seem like a long shot, but in his mind, the odds are no deterrent. He's never been put off by a challenge, Wendell Jensen brags.
A Heber farming kid who dropped of out high school, Perris Jensen worked odd jobs to support his wife and six kids. But he dreamed of being an attorney. So at age 30, he studied on his own and then challenged the Utah State Bar exam. He passed the five-day test with the highest score on record at that time. He went on to practice real-estate law and teach at the University of Utah Law School and at Westminster College.
In his late 70s after his wife, Gwendolyn Williams Jensen, died, he enrolled at Brigham Young University, graduating at age 81. He was valedictorian.
He continues to study every day, writes 500 letters a year to friends and family and says he has a file of "projects" that he has been collecting and hopes to get to them in his "old age."
"I'm going to have to live to 200 to finish them," he said.
On Monday, Perris Jensen was recognized for his accomplishments by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and his wife, Elaine, at their 14th annual Conference for Seniors. Jensen has known the Hatches for many years, since they often had adjacent seats at BYU football games.
"You're an inspiration," Elaine Hatch said to Jensen. "By your example you will help many to broaden their horizons."
Jensen says he hopes he can rewrite the perception that old age just is about sitting in a rocking chair with memories.
"I never wanted that," he said. "I think people fail to recognize that even thought the body is frail, the mind is still busy. (Seniors) still have feelings and still have ideas."
E-MAIL: dobner@desnews.com