Member Moment
Meet Harold Jacobson!
Congratulations to Harold Jacobson, a JCC member for 2 ½ years, for his Gold Medal in Tucson’s recent Senior Olympics for weight lifting. Harold has lifted 220 lbs so far and is shooting for 300+ for the statewide Senior Olympics in Mesa coming in November.
What’s unusual about this? Harold is 92 years old and has more energy than folks a quarter of his age.
Harold has always gone “over and above” what most people pack into their lives. He started working when he was 6 years old at a shoe shine stand. At 8 years of age he was working in a ready-to-wear shop, at age 11 he started in a supermarket to learn to be a butcher which trained him to start his bars and restaurants – all 3 of them. In fact, Harold has always had 3 jobs at a time – some volunteer, some for pay, and some for love of what he was doing. And everything he touched he revised and improved.
Sales have been his strength. He worked for 40 years as a real estate broker and builder, 40 years as an appraiser, and 30 years as a volunteer manager of a cemetery in Dayton, OH (and all at the same time!).
You’ve heard the phrase, “He could sell snow to Eskimos”? Well, during WWII sugar was rationed so no one could can fruit. Therefore, canning supplies didn’t sell. Until Harold saw a 20’ stack of canning jar rings (that sold for a nickel each) just collecting dust in his company’s warehouse. He brought them all to his store, sold them “2 for 15 cents, limit 4” and cleared out the whole inventory of something no one else could sell - and at a tidy profit.
His energy and resourcefulness continues today. He works out at the JCC 5 days a week for an hour and a half and uses the treadmill, strength training equipment, and free weights. His gold medal training program? He started just 30 days prior to the event - which shows you what great shape he was in to begin with. Our hat’s off to Harold and we are proud to have him as a JCC member.
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