Background
Jencks, a fourth generation Californian, was born in Oakland, California, in 1921.
Jencks, a fourth generation Californian, was born in Oakland, California, in 1921.
Stanford University.
He retired from his position as Corporate Vice President of Columbia Broadcasting System in 1976. Jencks was also a former president of the Alliance of Television and Film Producers, or ATFP, which is now called the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. As a child, he vacationed during the summer at Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe, where his family had opened a resort (present-day Stanford Sierra Camp).
He initially enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, but left to join the United States. military during World World War World War II He served as a commanding officer for several harbor defense vessels, which placed anti-submarine nets and torpedo Netto throughout the Aleutian Islands and the Caribbean Sea during the war.
He enrolled at Stanford University after the war, where he earned both his bachelor"s degree (1946) and his law degree (1948). Following law school, Jencks joined the National Association of Broadcasters (National Association of Broadcasters) in Washington, District of Columbia as an associate general counsel
He then moved to Los Angeles, where he became West Coast Resident Attorney for Columbia Broadcasting System, Incorporated. He later left Columbia Broadcasting System to become president of the Alliance of Television and Film Producers.
While working in Los Angeles, Jencks became the first president of the West Pasadena Residents" Association, serving in 1962-1963.
He also served on the Pasadena City Council. Jencks returned to Columbia Broadcasting System as the television network"s general counsel and was later named president of the Columbia Broadcasting System Broadcast Group, which included Columbia Broadcasting System News, Columbia Broadcasting System Television Network, Columbia Broadcasting System Radio Network, Cinema Center Films, and the television and radio stations owned by Columbia Broadcasting System. He remained in Washington, District of Columbia until his retirement in 1976. He served as well on the editorial board for the Marin Independent Journal.
Jencks began appearing on a weekly radio opinion show called "2 Minutes with Richard" on KSCO when he was 85 years old and was frequently in demand as a speaker on broadcasting and other communication subjects.
When Columbia Broadcasting System became the target of accusations of excessive depictions of sex and violence by the Nixon administration during the early 1970s, Jencks, who was a Columbia Broadcasting System corporate vice president at the time, flew to Washington to defend the broadcast network against the allegations.
Jencks was appointed a distinguished visiting professor of communications at San Diego State University and was a founding member of the board of directors for the University of California at Berkeley Foundation.