In Memoriam

HollandSentinel.com -Family, colleagues remember educator 04/21/03

"K. Don "Jake" Jacobusse spent much of his life teaching or leading schools around the country, but the impact of his expertise and passion for education can be felt locally as well, said some of his family and former colleagues this weekend."

It is with genuine sadness that I learned today of the death of my tenth grade English teacher, "Jake" Jacobusse. At 70, I am sure he still showed more zest for life than most people do in their twenties. For all the suggestion of scandal that trailed in Jake's wake, his presence in the classroom was electrifying. His mind was constantly inquiring, never accepting orthodoxy or authority, the source both of his inspiration and some of his difficulties over the years. It was appropriate that Jake introduced me to one of my favorite restaurants, the Church in Stratford, Ontorio, home of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Next time I am there, I shall be sure to tlife a glass in memory of a man who combined the scholar with the bon vivant.