For nearly 40 years, Judi Jenkins’ work uniform was a white coat or a pair of scrubs, but she wasn’t a nurse. “Most people think women in the profession of medicine are always a nurse,” she said. “I’m not a nurse. My job is clinical microbiology.” And it’s something she had wanted to do since high school.Jenkins was born in Steubenville, Ohio, and grew up in Medina, Ohio, where she lived from the late 1940s to 1963. She graduated from Medina High School in 1963.”I really enjoyed high school biology and thought I would go into the biology field,” she said. “And my brother-in-law asked me, ‘Do you ever think about the laboratory?'” Jenkins went to the library, did some research and decided to pursue laboratory work. “There were times in college when chemistry got hard and I thought …change my major, but I just couldn’t find anything else I wanted to do,” she said. “I loved it.”Jenkins received a degree in zoology with a minor in microbiology and chemistry from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It was in college where Jenkins also found chemistry with her husband Rick. A sorority sister fixed her up with one of Rick’s fraternity brothers. It didn’t work out, and Rick asked his frat brother if he could ask Jenkins out for a date. The rest, as they say, is history.After college, Jenkins completed a year of clinical training at Riverside Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. After completing her training, she worked there an additional year while future husband Rick pursued law school near Cleveland. “We did long distance. Lots of love letters,” she said. “An occasional phone call. Not like today with cell phones.” Eventually Rick transferred to the University of Toledo Law School, and the couple married June 8, 1968.The Jenkins eventually moved to Rick’s hometown of Port Clinton, Ohio, where Jenkins worked for three years until they moved again – to Colorado Springs. “We wanted to go while we were young, and so we just hopped in the car and drove west,” she said. Jenkins said the desire to explore the West was inspired by John Denver’s song “Rocky Mountain High,” which came out the same year. “I had an interview in Tucson – too hot. I didn’t like it,” she said. Friends raved about the Springs area, and the Jenkins checked it out and settled in. Jenkins found a job at the original St. Francis Hospital, and Rick sold life insurance.Since that time, Jenkins said she’s seen many changes in the Springs’ hospitals and the medical field in general. “When I started out in the late 60s, there was a lot of manual testing, like with test tubes,” she said. “And now today there is so much wonderful automation. You are getting superb results.” Jenkins noted that individual bar codes have helped lower the rates of laboratory errors.While working at Penrose Hospital, Jenkins said she taught college graduates studying clinical microbiology. She said students from all over the country would work alongside of her for on-the-job training. “It has been fun and interesting having some youth sitting next to you, and training and teaching,” she said. “By the end of the year, you have to be able to release them. You know, the best teacher is the one that is not needed anymore.”Jenkins retired Dec. 14. As much as she loved her job, Jenkins said she is looking forward to retirement and new adventures. “You start out as one thing, and it changes,” she said. “First, I was Rick’s wife. Then I was Colleen’s mom. You know, you have all these transitions in your life and this is just another one.”For the next couple of months I’m not going to do much of anything.” Then, she plans to continue relaxing and read, ski, travel and volunteer – maybe with animals.More on Judi JenkinsWhat is your favorite thing about Colorado?The weather and opportunity for outdoor activity: That’s one reason we moved here. So we could go bicycling and skiing. It’s been great. Love it. Beautiful state.What is your favorite memory?I don’t know if it’s a cop out, but certainly a highlight in my life was the birth of my child, Colleen.Name someone you admire?I most admire Nick and Bev Ordon for the amount of community service and activities they’ve done for Falcon. They are extremely involved, and I hope that when I get to be their age I can be as active.What is your favorite TV program?Believe it or not, it’s “ER.” I have watched that from the very beginning and still watch it. Rick thinks I’m crazy. He says, ‘You go to work all day with that stuff and then you come home and watch that?’ I like it. Plus, I like to laugh at the things they do incorrectly.
