Ted Jacobs
Alumni Citizenship Award
B.S. Business Administration, 1943
At a time when a dollar could buy a few gallons of gas, Ted Jacobs was making his mark as a young businessperson. After he was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1945, Jacobs earned $25,000 in just 10 months by selling check protectors.
With his professional drive and love for his community, the young entrepreneur established Ted Jacobs, Inc., a ladies specialty retailer, which operated in Lorain, Ohio, and surrounding areas for 41 years and employed more than 100 associates.
“His is an uncommon story: A soft-spoken, cultured, Jewish owner of women’s clothing stores, over a lifetime of energy and enthusiasm, leaves a gritty, ethnic steel town a far, far better place than he found it when he moved here at age four,” wrote John G. Cole, editor of Lorain’s Morning Journal.
Jacobs has strengthened the local business atmosphere by serving in organizations such as the Lorain Downtown Merchants’ Association and on the board of directors of the Greater Lorain Chamber of Commerce. He also has initiated several community programs, including Project Action, a pilot sales training program to help minorities secure jobs in retailing.
Jacobs has volunteered countless hours to improve the quality of education for Lorain’s students. As co-chair of the fund-raising committee for the Lorain City Schools, he campaigned to secure a $41 million bond levy for the renovation and building of local schools. Jacobs has also served on the school district’s business advisory committee.
Jacobs served five years as chair of Lorain Believes in Kids, a volunteer organization that helps improve students’ self-esteem while supporting their efforts to pursue higher education. In 1996, the group sponsored a bus trip to Washington, D.C., for one student and chaperone from each school in Lorain County to attend the first Stand for Children Day.
In 1994, Jacobs and his late wife, Ruth, established the Community Foundation of Greater Lorain County’s Ruth and Ted Jacobs Fund, which supports educational programs for children. Jacobs has also been involved in civic projects, serving as chair of the Agudath B’nai Israel Building Fund campaign; chair of Lorain Jewish Welfare for more than 25 years; and committee member for the restoration of the Lorain Palace Theater and Civic Center.
Jacobs’ commitment to the community has earned him numerous honors, including the Leadership Lorain County 2005 Excellence in Business Award, the Lorain Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club 2000 Community Service Award, the Lorain Jaycees Outstanding Community Service Award, the Junior Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year Award, the American Business Women’s Association of Lorain County Boss of the Year, the Elks Lake Erie Lodge 362 and Peerless Temple 235 Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Efforts in Promoting Better Understanding Among People of All Races, and the Second Baptist Church Award for Contributions in the Advancement of Civil Rights Movement in Lorain County.
Of all Jacobs’ accomplishments, his greatest pride is his family, he says. Since his retirement in 1991, he also has shown his Buckeye pride by attending all home football games and several bowl games. “Following the teams is one of my greatest pleasures,” he says.
