Judge
Superior Court of the County of San Mateo
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Early in his career, Judge Thomas M. Jenkins recognized the need to address aging services nationwide. He was a co-founder, the third president (1966-1970), and a board member of LeadingAge (previously AAHSA, American Association of Homes for the Aging) and a co-founder and board member of LeadingAge California (previously Aging Services of California). The impetus for founding both organizations was the expected impact of future national demographics on the need for aging services, as well as the issue of tax exemption for service providers.
Tom was also a founding partner of the Schofield, Hanson, Bridgett, Marcus and Jenkins law firm (now Hanson Bridgett, LLP) in San Francisco, which became one of the largest and most philanthropic firms in the city. For nearly five decades, he played a crucial role in tax litigation and related issues concerning the field of long-term care. For example, he authored an application to obtain IRS Revenue Ruling 72-124 that remains the basis for federal tax exemptions for all CCRCs/Life Plan Communities today. He also authored articles on aging that were published in Concern and Focusmagazines.
Through Tom’s leadership efforts as president of AAHSA/LeadingAge, the association was granted tax-exempt status in 1967—which allowed it to expand and intensify its activities and undertake significant experimental projects designed to benefit members. And his background as chairman and member of the board of directors of Northern California Presbyterian Homes (now Sequoia Living), along with his expertise in tax law, enabled him to organize AAHSA’s first Legal Section.
In May 1968, he was named by the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to its Advisory Panel on Incentive Reimbursement Experimentation, one of the most pivotal advisory committees in the national health insurance arena, to play a major role in providing the advice needed for conducting a sound experimental program. In 1970, Tom received an AAHSA Award of Honor.
Later, in 1981, he was part of a University of Pennsylvania study project that defined the universe of CCRCs and established a nationwide database on their financial and operating characteristics. The study also developed actuarial/accounting procedures for setting fees to help ensure long-term financial health and examined the legal issues surrounding the operation of this type of retirement community. The project was the starting point for many significant undertakings involving CCRCs in subsequent years.
Tom was born in southern Illinois and raised in Chicago, where he attended Chicago Teachers College and met his wife, Anne. He was stationed on the West Coast while serving in the Army during World War II and afterward settled in San Francisco. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Hastings College, University of California, Berkeley.
In 1956, Tom and his family moved to San Carlos, California, where he served on the city council and as mayor for several years. From 1976 to 1990, he was a judge with the San Mateo County Superior Court and presiding judge in 1980. After serving for many years as a mediator for JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc.), he finally retired. He loved to travel around the world with his family and visited every continent except Australia.
In retirement, Tom enjoyed reading his daily paper and watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, 60 Minutes, and PBS. Tom and Anne enjoyed a loving marriage of 68 years. They were patrons of the arts and took a great deal of pleasure in attending symphonies, operas, and Shakespeare festivals. He passed away in March 2015, at the age of 94, leaving behind two sons and a daughter, several grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.