JACOBSEN. BOB. NORTHFIELD MINN. USA

[Stanley]

JACOBSEN. BOB. NORTHFIELD MINN. USA
Robert Franklin Jacobsen
Born of Aura & Ralph Jacobsen in Cherokee, Iowa 4/17/1925. Died 6 September 2007 at 4pm local time. Aged 82.
Married Elaine Davis. Children.
Roberta Peterson – two sons Daniel and Andrew
Richard Jacobsen – wife Joy, children Anna (husband Gerry Rogers) & Nathaniel (Wife Lisa)– 3 great grand children
Roland Jacobsen – wife Shar, son Dylan and wife Regan
Russell Jacobsen – children Laura and Steven

If Grandpa, Ralph Jacobsen could be here to tell us what was the great reason for Jacobsen’s success, he would tell you that it was because we each selected great wives -- supportive and they filled the role of perfect partners.
Aura was a small town bank cashier before marrying Ralph (Linn Grove, IA). Ralph was employed in a Leuthold Store in Cherokee, IA. She had never worked in a JCP store - but she took over the bookkeeping - set up the systems and freed up Grandpa to do what he did best - selling -- representing the store to the entire community -- seeing that the store had the merchandise that people needed// wanted.
Ralph & Aura were true partners. He was broken hearted without her when she died... 14 months before he.
Bob always tagged along. He says that he was spoiled rotten as an only child... til he turned 10 years old.
The family always talked STORE and JCP philosophy.... Bob’s high school classmates predicted he would run a small town family clothing store. Men were in short supply in those high school years and Bob went on the payroll in 1939 and he carried store keys with approval in 1941.
Bob was ready to do just that after WWII. He got discharged 9/15/45 and went to work for JCP in International Falls - two days later.
But Ralph & Aura wanted him to go to college. Bob always tells that his Dad stopped him one day with the request, “will you do me a favor?”.
There had never been such a discussion before and Bob was sure to agree. When he did, Ralph said, “You Mom & I want you to try college. If you’ll try for one semester -- you can decide whether to continue. If you don’t like it, I’ll do all I can to get you started with another JCP store”.
There was no doubt about Bob’s answer. That was in Jan. 1946.
Bob got registered at the U of M
His first class was Logic. He loves to tell that he walked into a class. It was crowded and he got a seat in the front row.
Another X-GI guy, sat in the next seat and Elaine came in to sit in the next seat.
After a couple of days they got better acquainted. She was a Senior taking the class an an elective because a girlfriend needed the credits and wanted company.
Dad tells that Elaine knew how to study and did well on the first quiz.
They walked across campus after the class and she offered to help him study.
They visited Bob’s parents in April of that spring -- were engaged and Bob says she helped him through his classes and jobs ever since... Elaine graduated as a Nurse in June 1946. They got married on Thanksgiving.
Aura & Ralph agreed Bob had a “keeper”. Elaine allowed him an extra day off that year for their honeymoon. Bob used all of his G.I. bill and had only to pay for one term of graduate work. He graduated in 1948.
In 1947 Ralph’s Doctor called Bob and said, “Get your Dad to take an easier job or get ready for a funeral.”. This got the family to agree to leave JCP and International Falls and it seemed best to find an independent owner store... the family, Ralph, Aura, Elaine and Bob looked at many stores, in different towns. Ralph and Aura like the Federated Store in Northfield... that was agreed to in 1947.
They knew that a one floor store would be easier to run than the I.F. store where there were 3 floors and here in Nfld. he would be his own boss. John Nutting felt that they would be a good fit for Northfield and others - including Sid Freeman agreed. It was a good fit for 20 years until Aura’s cancer and Ralph’s emphysema caught up.
Bob kept in touch with the store and the town...and Ralph always dreamed of Bob and his family joining them. But never openly encouraged the move... thinking that the Store needed to grow a bit more & Bob had “such good jobs!”
Bob taught vocational education for a couple of years in Stillwater High School and organized adult classes while earning a Masters Degree in 1949. Aura kept track of Bob & Elaine’s growing family. Ralph and Bob kept in touch regarding store operations.
In 1950, Bob was hired by Hardware Mutuals in Stevens Point, WI. He enjoyed the work and the people in a very training oriented company and he became their corporate-training & education manager. After 12 years he was lured ot Washington D.C. for the National Chamber of Commerce. Bob like the challenges and Elaine and the kids thrived on the history and sight seeing. But we didn’t find a community fit. Bob says, “No one ever evaluated how well you did or failed. It was always “If you had” or “If someone hadn’t”” -- the C of C didn’t mind when he took a job as a consultant to the PA State govt. ... looking into a redo of Vocational Education.
Bob arranged vacations and business travel so that he could be in Northfield during Aura and Ralph’s trips to Rochester.
It seemed that they often coincided with the hot summers and Congressional recesses. (Congress was more predictable in those times and Dad’s work was always kept current by secretary’s that were treated like members of the our family).
When Aura was terminal Bob was here for over a month and finally was convinced that Northfield was great and that the people were special. Bob admits that he went back to Arlington melancholy. Ralph had always told him of Northfield’s merits... but he had been enthusiastic regarding Mitchell, SD, Waseca, MN., Blue Earth, MN, and International Falls too. It took time for Bob to know that Northfield was really special.
Bob says if he had it do all over again - we would have moved to Northfield earlier... He feels that he could have kept Ralph living for at least 20 years more.
The rest you know - Bob & Elaine almost qualified as “townies” - often customers confused both couples. Rollie has observed “ I always enjoyed the seamless transfer”... Shar & I thought that we were part of the tradition.

Ralph & Aura had a wonderful relationship with Elaine and the kids - through long phone calls, regular letters and visits - they all developed a closeness, trust. They would have been very pleased but probably somewhat surprised at how Elaine took over the buying of baby, kids, ladies wear. Bob was amazed at how Elaine to to “stock sheets” - “inventory control” - selling. He likes, memory and her willingness to look after details made those departments succeed. Ralph would have reveled in Elaine’s going to market and writing a 2 or 3 thousand dollar order for Buster Brown. She pondered much but Bob and Rollie knew to never doubt or challenge.
Elaine never liked to edit or censor Bob’s ads... letters... promotions but she would always know when to say - “maybe we should look at this again”...
She was pleased to have Shar join the family because she was a sewer... and along the line she learned quilting, knitting - things that our customers wanted to be able to do. The store grew and we learned.
There were time when new store layouts were tried... generally when Elaine was visiting Grand Kids in far off places... but Elaine always pitched in and we learned.
Elaine was pleased to have Shar’s company on trips to market... and shared the store operations.
Elaine always got her work done but we learned to adjust to her church activities, bridge clubs and tea trips across to the Quality Bakery... and her volunteering routines.
She especially enjoyed the Pre-Natal Courses that she planned with the Red Cross prior to the Nfld. Hospital offering such. She also enjoyed writing out “welcome cards” and having gifts for the new babies of the community. It bothered her when privacy regulations made this difficult and eventually impossible to continue. She always was glad to “hold new ones” and supervise the play pen.
Aura, Elaine and Shar were glad to see Jacobsen’s recognized... but were very will to be in the background.... their strength provided the secure foundation of the store.



ELAINE JACOBSEN

Elaine Jacobsen, age 81 of Northfield, passed away Sunday, April 3, 2005 at her home in Northfield. Funeral Services will be 3:00pm Thursday, April 7th at the First United Church of Christ in Northfield with burial at Oaklawn Cemetery in Northfield. Visitation Wednesday from 3-7:00 pm at the Bierman Funeral Home in Northfield.

Elaine Adeline Jacobsen was born May 6, 1923 in Minneapolis, daughter of Harry and Anna (Herreid) Davis. She was raised in south Minneapolis and attended South High School, graduating in 1941. She next enrolled in the University of Minnesota School of Nursing obtaining her BA degree as a Public Health Nurse.

While at the U, she met Robert Franklin Jacobsen, a fellow student in her Logics class. They were united in marriage on November 28, 1946 in Minneapolis. Over the next 20 years they made their home in Stillwater, MN, Stevens Point, WI, and Arlington, VA. In 1968 she and her family moved to Northfield where Bob and Elaine continued the operation of Jacobsen’s until retirement in 2003. Trained as a Public Health Nurse, she was the quiet leader of Jacobsen’s Family Store in downtown Northfield.

She was an active member of her Church, particularly in volunteer work and Bible Study. She was an avid Bridge player, enjoyed gardening, and loved her grandchildren and the time she could be with them. She was a good listener and had many conversations with family and friends over a cup of tea.

Elaine Jacobsen is survived by husband Bob, daughter Bobbie Peterson of Northfield, sons Reverend Richard Jacobsen and wife Joy of Eagle River, WI, Rollie Jacobsen and wife Shar of Northfield, Reverend Russ Jacobsen and wife Pat of Redwood Falls, MN, sister Marvel Davis of Chicago, 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents and son-in-law Van Peterson.

Arrangements by the Bierman Funeral Home of Northfield

We aimed to do business as THE STORE WITH A HEART. I chose that because it seemed to me to say it was a reputation my folks had earned and that was built by them into the stores operation. Melancholy? Maybe, but it is true. Aided by Ruth Seller’s I used it and tried to live true to it. It was a privilege and it was a standard for us to measure up to.
It bothered me when Salesman tried to tell me the only reason I was in business was -- “the bottom line”. I knew the Jacobsen Family needed $’s but it was a tradition that we aimed to maintain.
We bought “staples” at what seemed to be fair prices. We paid our bills -- promptly -- got our discounts. We set our prices as reasonable prices and tried to maintain them from season to season. Customers were appreciated and welcomed. We sold at the same prices to all - no special discounts for this person or group.
We didn’t use SPECIAL SALES -- often. We didn’t yo-yo process. What you saw one day was the same throughout the season. We aimed to have a staple stock “through season and a bare bones stock” thru out the year”. After all kids swam throughout the year. Some customers vacation in Jan. and needed shorts. Jacobsen’s aimed to have a selection to choose.
This meant we had to stay “current” but that was our aim -- not being “leaders” but respectable “followers”.
We didn’t use expensive ads - just was seemed to be effective.
All of this came from a “Way of doing Business” that was based on time we grew up with. I’d say it was the “Golden Rule”. We learned that in Sunday School and at JCP.
I knew that “work is fun” especially if it is for yourself and you are able to work with fine people - customers, friends - you didn’t have to take a lot of $’s for yourself.
It bothers me to see the media having stories of greedy business people. They give a bad reputation to an honest endeavor.
“He never took more than he needed”, was a theme of an ad series that I grew up It was an illustration of an indian - fishing, hunting - for his family.
(Mosince Paper, beautiful colorful pictures - craft paper calendar sheets).
That and Scouting taught lessons of hone reasonableness -- conservation. All simple measures, that anyone can live by.
We lived comfortably , not in the fast lane, we enjoyed our work - it was serving wonderful people and was HONEST.
I was fortunate that I had a smart father and a wise son.
Dad - Ralph - said “we selected great mothers - wives”.
I don’t expect people to remember us but I hope they may recall, “being able to find what they needed at Jacobsen’s and to recall honest, reputable experiences with people who tried to put their interests first.
Sheila Wellstone was one of our customer- friends. (They came from Arlington, VA too) She introduced us to Paul and his parents when they moved here. She asked me to be in Paul’s first commercial. We grew close though our political views often differed. Paul often told me that I was no Business Man - but a friend - with strange political views. A few days before their tragic plane crash - Paul and I made a date win or lose to take a special day of get away.