Born 9/5/1937 in Sacramento to Maggie and Edward Jorgensen, we spent our early years in Northern California. At the end of WWII Dad returned from the Navy and took the job of coaching at Cal Poly. When we arrived in SLO, I was nine and entered Mrs. McFadden’s 4th grade class. All I remember was building a miniature mission with adobe bricks made of clay and straw. Until High School; my favorite subject was recess. My main interest was to understand the mysteries of nature. I collected bird eggs, seashells, arrowheads and brought home various critters to study.
This interest in biology led to a degree in zoology from U.C. Berkeley with an interest in PreMed. This was followed by medical school at U.C. Medical School in San Francisco with internship and surgical residency at U.C. affiliated hospitals with one year at Stanford studying hand surgery along with cosmetic surgery. After fourteen years of higher education, I returned to SLO to open my solo practice. I enjoyed a wide general practice dealing with birth defects and turning back some aging changes. From trauma and hand surgery to burn care to breast reconstruction and a growing cosmetic practice, I kept busy.
I retired after an injury left me one-eyed. I was glad to see another colleague come to town to share call. I enjoyed being on various nonprofit boards like the Cancer Society and Red Cross. I was one of the founding members of the Wednesday noon Rotary club and served as president in 2001. One very pleasant job was as the first president of the Mozart Festival Board to help Cliff Swanson and others start the event that has grown from 1971 to the Festival Mosaic today.
I was blessed with wonderful parents, two great talented younger sisters, three incredible children and seven grandchildren that I don’t see often enough because of distances. I enjoy life in the country with my dog, hiking to stay fit, golf to liberate some frustration and fellowship with friends.