Monique Gerson ’84 wrote: He was my father and passed away on 10/27/2010 from heart congestion. Sidney is my first cousin. Sidney’s father was my father’s older brother. My dad was a great man and I miss him every day.
Sidney Gerson ’72 wrote:
Mike (Mickey) was my uncle. There is pictures in a year book from when he was at ISB. I think he was class of ’59 but actually graduated from Worcester Academy. He said the hardest class he ever took was Latin with my mother as the teacher. She did the same to me so no one could say she was playing favorites.
Mike class of ’59 and daughter Monique class of ’84.
David,
You are missing a couple of past individuals. When I was in 12th grade, Michael Gerson was in 10th grade. He WAS a great kid! He passed away several years ago. His nephew Sidney Gerson of ISB could give you more info on Mike. Barbara Harris was in my class and she died around 50 years old of cancer. I don’t have her married name.
Best regards,
Chuck
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George Henry Ellis of Pleasant Garden, North Carolina
May 22, 1942 – January 12, 2021
George Henry Ellis, 78, of Pleasant Garden, died Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at Beacon Place in Greensboro. Graveside Service will be 11:00 AM Saturday, January 16 at Chisholm Family Cemetery in Candor, with Rev. Steven Jarman officiating.
Born in Bahia, Brazil on May 22, 1942, the son of Franklin and Elisabeth Roosighn Ellis. He was a computer data processor with the Greensboro City Schools and had served in the US Air Force. George enjoyed flea markets and collecting military antiques.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Chisholm Ellis of the home; 2 sons, George Franklin Ellis of Archdale and Joseph Thomas Ellis of Waxhaw; daughter, Kristina Ellis Cockman of Limestone TN; 7 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren.
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My name is Jane Whitcomb, widow of Jim Whitcomb. I am writing to tell you Jim Whitcomb deceased 3-16-21.
Jimmie Whitcomb
May 2, 1940 – March 16, 2021
Jimmie grew up as an Army brat, traveling so much he never stayed in one school for over a year. When his father gave him a Brownie camera he turned to photography as his best friend. Photography became his hobby when he found himself in Bangkok, Thailand where he graduated from high school. He had freedom to explore a beautiful tropical wonderland and the opportunity to travel deep into the jungle to meet Dr. Doolittle at his hospital. After high school when his father returned to the USA he joined the Army. His hobby became his vocation as he documented the Vietnam war for Stars and Stripes publication. After Vietnam he worked for OSHA Ariel mapping the US. That led to a job at Zinkgraft Photography in San Antonio, TX as a commercial photographer. He had the great honor to be the photographer at Hemisphere World Fair meeting and documenting in photos major events, dignitaries and super stars.
That led to a job at KLRN TV Station Austin, TX which at that time was owned by Lady Bird Johnson. He was frequently at LBJ Ranch photographing world dignitaries and State Department events alongside Lyndon Baines Johnson and his family. At the time he was commuting from San Antonio to Austin and that was hard on a young and growing family. He found it necessary to move closer to Austin.
About the time of the move he was offered a position with Texas Parks and Wildlife as Photo Editor. Traveling and photo documenting flora and fauna alongside biologists and naturalists was his dream job. He traveled the State of Texas exploring every wonder of nature the State offered. But again he was away from his family so when an opportunity to open his own studio and lab, Image House and Whitcomb Photography, in Austin, TX that became a reality.
In the 1980’s the Austin economy took a downward turn. He was forced to close his business and relocate to Houston, TX as the Director of Photography for United Jewelers. When they closed their doors he moved his business to a well established printer in Houston, TX. About that time digital photography was coming into age. He self-taught himself in the early days of digital and was asked by SONY Corporation to test market their new LEAF commercial digital cameras. He was the US product tester for digital cameras and was first in his field again. He became the LEAF camera consultant and trainer for major companies including Lucky Grocery Stores in California and Kroger in Houston, TX.
During the 1990’s and until his death he owned and operated, Image House, WhitWeb Hosting and Studio Houston, a premier commercial photography studio in Houston, TX and Conroe, TX. His many clients included NASA, Wing Stop, All Star Rod and Reels, Miller Hats, Bill Lewis Lures, Stanley Lures, Hartz Chicken, Chantel Cookware, Borne Saddles as well as design architectural photography.
One of his major personal projects was ‘PAINTED CHURCHES OF TEXAS’ exhibit that ran November 19, 2016 through March 5, 2017 at the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures which showcased Jimmie’s photography of more than two dozen intricately painted 19th century churches built by immigrants from Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland, France, Spain, Mexico and beyond. Using technology developed for NASA’S Mars Land Rovers, large-scale Gigapan photography, of the painted churches of Texas which revealed astonishing details of Texas’s rich history of immigrant artistry.
Jimmie has published ‘A GUIDE TO PAINTED CHURCHES OF TEXAS,’ A Photographers Journey, Volume #1 with 10 Churches by Jim ‘Whit’ Whitcomb and Jane Fanick Whitcomb.
Jimmie Humphries Whitcomb is survived by Jane Fanick Whitcomb, spouse, four children, son, Guy and Elaine Rosinbaum, three grandchildren, Emily Rosinbaum, Ariel Rosinbaum and Elizabeth Rosinbaum; daughter, Darleen Pooler and Jerry Coesens, three grandchildren, Adam and Liza Sneitzer, Brittany Wagner and Adam Christensen, one great grandchild, and Braxton Pooler; and daughter, Janeece Kessler and Big Dog Ed Talamantez, three grandchildren, Jacob Kessler, James Sandefur, Kyndahl Sandefer and Frankie Ayala; and daughter, Kimberlee and Andrew Dedmon, two children, Tyler and Jaynee Dedmon and Olivia Dedmon.
A service will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery located at 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd. San Antonio, TX. 78209. The service will be held on May 3rd, 2021 at 2:15pm.
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A SAD GOODBYE: MURPHYSBORO REMEMBERS ROBERT JACOBS IN SERVICE
KRISTEN CATES THE SOUTHERN [Wed Jun 16 2004]
Jun 17, 2004
MURPHYSBORO – Hope, mixed with anger and sadness, filled the sanctuary of Murphysboro United Methodist Church Wednesday, as members of the community gathered to remember Robert Jacobs, a local resident killed in Saudi Arabia last week.
Jacobs, 62, was found dead in his apartment in Riyadh June 8th, after he had been shot to death, according to reports. Family members reported earlier that Jacobs had been living there the past seven years, training members of the Saudi Arabian national guard on graphic design.
Reports so far have indicated that Jacobs could have been killed by terrorists, but the investigation is ongoing.
Brad Hinchcliff, of Carbondale, said he’s known Jacobs for the past 20 years, when both carpooled together while working at the Shawnee correctional facility, teaching art classes. It was in those days of carpooling that both discovered their love for motorcycles.
He said he felt extreme anger and wanted revenge when hearing the news of Jacobs’ death.
“I threw things around,” he said, but added that he has calmed down. “Bob’s at rest and he wouldn’t want any of us to do that.”
Hinchcliff said he would ride his 650 Honda motorcycle and Jacob’s would ride his 900 Yamaha around the area. Hinchcliff joked that their wives never wanted to ride with them. They sometimes raced each other.
“I could beat Bob on the straight-aways,” he said.
But when racing through the parks, it was Jacobs who would win, because being a larger man, he could shift into the turns better.
“We were bikers,” Hinchcliff said. “Every time I go out into the garage and look at my bike, I think of Bob.”
Dr. Geoffrey Spears led the local Boy Scout troops along with Jacobs when both of their sons were younger. He said Jacobs was a man that was always there, whether singing in the church choir or leading 30 Boy Scouts on camping trips.
“He was one of those behind-the -scenes guys,” Spears said. “He was a great, caring, honest guy.”
One of Jacob’s former employees, from the Shawnee correctional facility, said he always worried about his former boss living in Saudi Arabia. Douglas Wells talked about the nine years he worked for Jacobs as the director of the print shop at the correctional facility, in conjunction with Jacob’s design work at Southeastern Illinois College.
With a tear on his cheek, Wells said Jacob’s was a very fair man, respecting everyone’s viewpoints.
“It’s ironic, of all the people to be killed over there, it was him,” he said.
He remembered first reading about Jacob’s death and being in complete shock.
“I didn’t know whether to be more sad or more mad,” Wells said. “Of all people, it shouldn’t have happened to him.”
Meanwhile, violence continues in the Middle East, with new reports of more innocent U.S. civilians taken hostage in Saudi Arabia.
Wells said he doesn’t see how U.S. troops torturing Iraqi prisoners got national attention, when deaths like those of Jacobs are receiving little acknowledgment.
At the funeral, Jacob’s wife, Virginia Lowe, spoke of her husband’s desire to be of service to the world and learn of other cultures. She asked the congregation to bear no hate, but joy.
“Please remember Bob in fun,” she said. “I want you to bear his laughter into the world.”
Lowe recalled the days when Jacobs would wake her up every morning with a new joke, sometimes at four in the morning.
“He had a lot of quirks,” she said, with a hint of laughter in her voice.
The Rev. Earl Renshaw, in giving the eulogy, mentioned the knowledge and understanding that Jacobs brought to the Murphysboro area.
“Bob believed there had to be social justice in this world,” he said. “Even though there is no social just in this. In the long run, he wouldn’t want us to be bitter.”
One of Jacob’s sons, Aaron, also took a moment to speak at the service, saying he took for granted the time he had with his father.
“I just always thought there would be more time,” he said, with tears in his eyes, voice quivering. “I wish I had another chance to tell him to his face how much he meant to me.”
Then, Aaron and his brother Matthew, playing their guitars and singing, lead the packed congregation in one of Jacob’s favorite songs, “Will the Circle be Unbroken.”
Spears said in order for the violence to stop, the people killing and kidnapping Americans like Jacobs need to understand the quality of life.
“Life is short, life is precious,” Spears said. “He was always there. He was always there.”
The last time Hinchcliff said he saw Jacobs was when his friend was home visiting last September.
“We sat on the porch and smoked cigars together,” he said. “He was just at peace with the world.”
Robert Jacobs, lSB Class of 1959 (he attended approximately 1956-1958) was shot dead in the garage of his residence in Riyadh on Tuesday, June 8th. The event was videotaped and run on a sympathetic website; portions were also shown on al-Jazeera TV, based in Quatar. The clip shows Bob being shot 10 times, then the motion of him being beheaded, although this has not been confirmed. Two or three men were involved, and one or two of them are said to be among those killed or apprehended by Saudi authorities over the last couple of days.
I was in Bob Jacobs’ class of ’59 at 1SB, and we got together a few times after we were both back in the Washington, DC area in 1959-60. I spoke with him in about 1997 by phone at his home in Murphysboro, IL and found that he was planning to leave soon for work in Saudi Arabia. I called his home in 2000 to let him know about the Williamsburg, VA reunion, and reached one of his sons who informed me that he was in Saudia Arabia.
I am enclosing some material from the internet that may be of interest.
Best regards,
Bill Brink ISB ’59
Dear ISB Friends:
A death is always saddening to report. This death is particularly so, as this one-time ISB student was gunned down and apparently beheaded by Muslim extremists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Southern Illinoisan – MURPHYSBORO MAN KILLED IN SAUDI ARABIA
