Marjorie Jacobs, former NTID prof, dies at 80

From: Democrat and Chronicle, NY - Jan 17, 2004

Staff reports

(January 17, 2004) — Marjorie Adamson Jacobs, 80, a former associate professor in speech reading at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, died Jan. 9 of cancer.

Mrs. Jacobs was born Oct. 31, 1923, in County Durham, Burnmooor, England, to Thomas and Katherine Adamson. She was raised in Maisemore, near Gloucester, England, and attended Ribston Hall Academy.

Mrs. Jacobs earned a scholarship after World War II from the Audiology Foundation of America for advanced studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

She worked in the department of otolaryngology at Northwestern under the direction of Dr. George E. Shambaugh, Jr., who pioneered stapes mobilization surgery.

In 1955, she returned to England, where she developed audiology, hearing aid dispensation and aural rehabilitation services at the Hereford General Hospital and started a hearing screening program.

She returned to Chicago in 1957 as a clinical audiologist for Shambaugh and Associates. She also worked as a pediatric audiologist at Children’s Memorial Hospital.

Mrs. Jacobs and her husband, Kenneth, were married in Chicago on Jan. 31, 1964. They moved to Rochester in 1966; Mrs. Jacobs served as supervisor of audiology at the Hearing and Speech Center of Rochester.

In 1972, she joined the faculty of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT as an associate professor.

She was honored with a certificate of appreciation from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 1982.

In 1985, NTID presented her with an Outstanding Services Award.

Following her retirement in 1986, she became active at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church and as a volunteer reader at WXXI Reachout Radio.

Along with her husband, Mrs. Jacobs is survived by sons Thomas (Adrienne) of Brooklyn and Timothy (Rachelle) of Bronxville; granddaughters Melody and Madison; sisters Susie Bates and Nancy (David) Jones of Newent, Gloucestershire, England; brother Geoffrey (Debee) of Pont Hirwaun, Cardiganshire, Wales; and nephews, nieces and cousins.

The family requests that contributions to her memory be made to the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14642. Interment will be in April at St. Anne’s Church, in Oxenhall, near Newent, England.

Copyright 2004 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.