EULOGY FOR JIM ("JAKE") JACOBSON
Dartmouth, Class of 1964


By Edward ("Gus") Williams '64
January 10, 2010

We gather today to pay tribute to, and honor the memory of, James W. Jacobson ("Jake" to his Dartmouth classmates); and to comfort his family; and yes, to perhaps give some measure of comfort to ourselves, for our shared loss.

As a Dartmouth classmate and fellow ski team member, I knew, skied, and studied with Jake for four years, from the Fall of 1960 through June of 1964. That was when we were 18 to 22 years old (or years young, as we look back at that time today).

By recalling Jake at that point in his life, I hope to give you a sense of what he meant to so many of us at Dartmouth.

Jake was well known on campus. But more than that, he was admired, respected, looked up to, and indeed loved. One small indication of Jake's importance to his classmates is the outpouring of emails and phone calls from our classmates, expressing their sense of loss and wanting to recount their memories of Jake.

But before I get more into that, I want to state some facts, which some of you may not know.

James W. Jacobson, so says our Freshman "Face Book," came to Dartmouth College from, Swan Valley, Idaho. It is recorded that he attended the Jackson-Wilson High School, where he graduated with Honors (Cum Laude) and as a member of the National Honor Society. He was elected Class President by his peers both his Junior and Senior years. He was editor of the school yearbook, and a member of the acting club. And yes, the word "skiing," without more, appears under his name in this 50 year old book with pictures of the newly minted members of the Dartmouth Class of 1964.

Four years later, in 1964, it is recorded in our Graduation book that Jake majored in Biology, was a member of the fraternity Gamma Delta Chi, where he served as Treasurer and a member of the Inter-Fraternity Council, and that he was selected for membership in the senior honor society, Casque and Gauntlet. It is also recorded that he was a member of the Dartmouth Ski Team during his Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior years, the last year as Captain of the Team.

This is the bare bones stuff. Now I'd like to try to fill in between the lines.

Many of us first met Jake at the inaugural meeting of the Dartmouth Freshman Ski Team at Robinson Hall, the home of the ski team for our four years. The meeting was convened by the legendary Dartmouth Ski Team Coach, Al Merrill. Everyone already seemed to know of Jake. Most certainly Al Merrill did. So it came as no surprise to me, when Fall training was over, and we started racing, that Jim excelled.

That was first proven with the Freshman ski team tryouts at the Skiway in December 1960. Each freshman skier skied two runs down the mountain trail, called Holt's Ledge. Jim had the fastest run of the day, with 62.8 seconds. However, I have to add, for the sake of full disclosure in this company, that Jake's combined time for the two runs was one tenth of a second behind another Dartmouth Freshman alpine star, Pat Terenzini.

I am not going to recount Jake's many victories on the slopes; they are safely recorded in the record books at Dartmouth College and with the United States Ski Association at the National level. Furthermore, Jake would not want me to do that. He was never one to wear his medals on his chest, on his jacket, or even inside his jacket for that matter,

Suffice to say, his results at Dartmouth College and at the National Collegiate Championships earned him the honor of being named All American and also being elected into the inaugural class of the "Wearers of the Green," Dartmouth's Sports Hall of Fame. I should note that Jake's All American honors came as a result of his outstanding results in the slalom and downhill events; but he also did cross-county and jumping, which also earned him the rarely given Skimeister Award.

I bet many of you did not know that. And the reason you did not know that, even though you thought you knew Jake well, is because Jake was not impressed with himself; nor did he feel the need to impress others with his achievements.

And that also goes for his academic honors as well, where he earned several academic citations at Dartmouth in biology.

So, who was Jake the man? How do his classmates remember Jake, other than what is recorded in the Freshman and Graduation books of our class, and the records of sports achievements at Dartmouth and elsewhere?

Pat Terenzini has already touched on that in his remarks. But let me add a comment or two from other classmates, as well as my own.

Here is what Chris Palmer, a fellow ski team mate, and former President of the Class of 1964, had to say:

I knew Jim at Dartmouth as a classmate, a fellow Dartmouth Dining Hall worker, teammate and fellow member of the Inter-fraternity Treasurer's Council. I remember he was always friendly, cheerful, and optimistic, even when competing head to head on the ski slopes. And, he was a leader. A few years ago, as a director of a biotech company developing a drug for cancer, I had occasion to contact Jim at the National Cancer Institute. He had not changed one bit. He was that same positive, helpful, upbeat guy I knew at Dartmouth. Now, hard to believe, we have lost one of those rare individuals who contribute to our well being while always sharing the credit with others. My heart goes out to his family.

Bob Hiller, a fellow Alpine ski team mate and another All American writes:

How quickly 46 years have passed us by, and yet the memories are still fresh and clear. Swan Valley Idaho sent it best talent and intellect East. How privileged I was to have shared a significant part of my life with Jake: as roommates, team members, competitors and most important, friends. Jake was the quintessential skier, competitor and leader; and our Captain for valid reasons. Even though time and distance have separated our lives, my memories of Jake will remain chiseled in my brain and heart forever.

Roy Lewicki, the President of the Dartmouth Outing Club, under whose jurisdiction the Ski Team fell, wrote as follows:

I got to know Jake as one of the guys hanging around Robinson Hall trying to make his life easier: grooming trails, packing jumps and setting cross county trails; and watching him, together with Coach Al Merrill, trying out and then picking the right waxes for the Team.

Jake was strong and disciplined, and not one for small talk. He was the focused and committed skier, always working hard and pursuing excellence. From reading his obit, it is obvious that he developed an amazing career with the same quiet excellence and strength he gave to his skiing,

Scott Creelman, a classmate, Captain of the Football Team, and fellow member of Casque and Gauntlet, had this to say:

When I think of Jim, I recall always being struck by his humbleness, his wonderfully relaxed style and quick laugh. And that red hair!

Here, I recall thinking, is a world class skier, yet you would never know it---for he was always interested in what others were doing first. Senior year the National Collegiate Championships were in Hanover, but you would never know it from him. I recall Jim being very relaxed, using his understated, welcoming style at that time with some visiting skiers---a far cry from the possible "chest-beating" style demonstrated in some of the other competitors of the day.

Jim, simply put, was wonderful guy!

And, Ron Schram, a former Trustee of the College, and the current President of the Class of 1964, summed up our sentiments quite well and simply by saying: Jim was a magnificent person who accomplished much both at Dartmouth and beyond.

Finally, I would like to repeat what I said in my email to classmates upon learning the sad news of Jake's death from Judy: This is what I wrote:

I remember well the loud speakers at the Skiway announcing: "Jim Jacobson, from Swan Valley Idaho and Dartmouth College, now on the course." And then everyone would stop what they were doing and look up the slope, because they knew that they were about to see a very graceful skier, be it in the downhill or slalom event, most likely setting a new course record at the Skiway. As reflected in Jake's wonderfully written Obit, Jake went on to set many course records of a different sort, after Dartmouth, in many laboratories, which will have a lasting impact on the lives of many, long after the trophies he won for Dartmouth College have lost their shine.

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Judy, Danielle, Bryan, and Erika, the Dartmouth Class of 1964, and especially Jake's teammates on the ski team, want you to know about our feelings for Jake, and that we all share in your grief.

Thank you.