Alvard Kiler didn’t know it when he graduated in 1941 from what was then Boise Junior College, but he would be the first of over a dozen of his family members across four generations to attend what would become Boise State University. Together, they are the definition of loyal Broncos.
“All of us who went to school here are lifelong lovers. We love the community. This was [Kiler’s] home, his livelihood, his school,” said his daughter Lynn Jensen.
While in school, Kiler played football, bolstering his love for the sport and commitment to higher education. After graduating and serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he made his alma mater an important part of his life. He continued to give back to the school as a member of the Boise State Alumni Association Founder’s Club and president of the association from 1970-71, earning the Alumnus of the Year award in 1980 in recognition of his service.
Kiler’s love for Boise State grew with his whole family, especially his daughter, Lynn Jensen. She started attending Boise State in 1966 and joined the drill team when it was still known as the Broncettes. The Broncettes performed in parades with the band, during halftime shows and traveled with the football team for away games. Her love for Boise State was unmistakable, as she became captain of the drill team as a freshman.
Lynn Jensen’s husband, Steve Jensen, also attended Boise State as a student-athlete, becoming a champion wrestler and the director of the university’s Department of Printing and Graphic Arts upon graduation. Lynn Jensen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1974 and went on to teach for 34 years in the Treasure Valley, primarily in the first grade.
Lynn Jensen is just as supportive of the Boise State community as her father. She holds season tickets for both football and basketball and often travels to away games to cheer on the Broncos. She is also a lifetime member of the Boise State Alumni Association and is a donor to the Marcella Heffner Memorial Athletic Endowed Scholarship. Her generosity supports student-athletes and their success on and off the field.
“I’m proud of the university and I’m proud of what it has become,” she said. “They honor and bring in good people and keep them, there’s not a lot of turnover. They come here because they love the community, teaching here and the classes.”
Kiler and Lynn Jensen’s legacy at Boise State now extends to Lynn Jensen’s grandson, Chase Jensen, currently a first-year student at Boise State. He is the son of third-generation alum Jessica Manzer Jensen and the first member of this family’s fourth generation of Boise State students.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jessica Manzer Jensen herself is also a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and a strong supporter of all things Boise State. She graduated in 1988 with a degree in physical education and now teaches in the West Ada School District.
“I always thought of Boise State as home,” Chase Jensen said. “How could you not want to be here?”
Chase Jensen recalled a childhood memory from a Boise State football game, when his great-grandfather was celebrated as an honorary captain and performed the coin toss to start the game. Now, walking across campus as a student, he reflects on how his great-grandfather, grandparents and mother once took the same paths to class — part of his family’s long legacy at Boise State.
He looks forward to adding to that legacy and making the 16 and counting Broncos in his family proud. From 1941, when his great-grandfather Kiler attended, to 1974, when his grandmother Lynn Jensen graduated, to now with Chase Jensen in his freshman year — this family has made Boise State an elemental part of their family traditions.
“There’s so much going on right now. It’s such a great time to be at Boise State,” said Chase Jensen.
Written by Brylei Brewer