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JENNY BEETZ, WALL OF FAME
Virginia (Jenny) Fogle Beetz was born in Pendleton County in the Bethel/Greenwood area. She was raised on a farm with her parents, three sisters and two brothers. After elementary school at Butler, she attended Pendleton Memorial High School. The high school had opened only a few years earlier and Jenny played the clarinet in the high school band. During her sophomore year, the school held a contest among the students to write the school’s song. Jenny submitted her version for the song, and Band Director Tom Barnard put her words to music. She won that contest with the “Wildcat Fight Song” and today it continues as the official school song. She graduated in 1965 and was honored in the “Top Ten” students of her class.
Jenny continued her education at Morehead State University and graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry, both with teacher certification. She then completed her Masters in Math Education the following year at MSU. While Jenny’s husband, Dr. Charles (Chuck) Beetz, completed his Doctorate at Purdue University, she worked for the USDA and was involved with analysis of soils in the state of Indiana. However, her first love was teaching mathematics and her teaching career spans more than twenty-five years beginning with junior high school in Lafayette, Indiana. After Indiana, the family moved to Michigan in 1979, then on to Connecticut in 1986. With each relocation, Jenny continued teaching mathematics and computer science classes in high school and university.
Another transfer to Danbury, CT, took her to Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. as Manager of Information Services. Jenny played a key role in presenting the company to potential investors on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in Fall 1994. She returned to her education career at Naugatuck Valley Community College where she was Director of IT for 11 years. This was a demanding role as she was always “on call” to troubleshoot technology issues and design computer facilities.
In 2005, Jenny and her husband Chuck returned to the home that always stayed in her heart and became the 5th generation family member to own her family’s land. Shortly after this move, Jenny supported her husband with the development of a now successful national business venture, Zoom Essence in Hebron, KY. Yet she could not get teaching out of her blood, and continued teaching mathematics at the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University.
As she settled back in Pendleton County, Jenny and her husband diversified the farm and started a vineyard in 2006. The farm became a licensed small farm winery in 2010, a “first” for Pendleton County. As a KY Proud member, Rose Hill Farm Winery has brought statewide attention and renown to Pendleton County. Their wines have been recognized with awards and medals throughout Kentucky, including the KY Commissioner’s Cup competition and the Kentucky Derby Wine competition.
A central theme of Jenny’s diverse career as an educator and entrepreneur is the spirit of communitarian. In Jenny’s spare time, she has participated on various boards and councils for the betterment of the community including:
• Vice President of the Pendleton County Farmers Market for 11 years
• Kentucky Governors Grape and Wine Council, Frankfort, KY from 2014-2018
• Northern KY Agritourism Network, Secretary, 2015-2018
• A J Jolly Park “Festival on the Lake” planning committee for 5 years
• Bethel Cemetery Company in Butler, KY, as President and as Treasurer
While serving as Vice President of the Pendleton County Farmers Market, Jenny was involved in planning and designing the market pavilion now located at the fairgrounds in Falmouth. Rose Hill Farm Winery began sales at the market in 2011 and has continued to support the market into present day. It was important to her that the permanent presence of a local farmers market be established for Pendleton County.
Jenny and her husband Charles were married December 1968 and have two children and 4 grandchildren. Their family is their greatest achievement. Pendleton County is and will always be Jenny’s home!