Longtime Fort Wright resident and civil servant Thomas Henry Jacober died June 18, and the city recognized his dedication by proclaiming Aug. 2, 2023 to be Thomas Henry Jacober Day at a recent city council meeting.
Jacober worked at Procter & Gamble before he was drafted into the army in 1954. While in the field, Procter & Gamble sent him care packages every few months. This inspired him to do the same for soldiers and veterans like him when he returned home as part of his work with St. Agnes Church.
“Tom was a leader, and if it weren’t for his leadership, that part of the city probably wouldn’t be Fort Wright today,” said former Mayor Thomas Litzler.
Current Mayor Dave Hatter, who lived in the portion of Fort Wright that Covington briefly annexed in the early 1980s, expressed his appreciation for Jacober’s hard work keeping his home in Fort Wright. After the city decided against annexation and the land was returned to Fort Wright, Jacober ran Fort Wright’s portion of the World’s Largest Garage Sale to pay off resulting costs from 1981 to 1987.
Jacober went on to serve on the Fort Wright city council from 1983 to 1989.
In 2002, Mayor Gene Weaver established the Fort Wright Vision and Long Range Planning Committee to “discuss the direction for the city over the next several years.”
Hatter said the vision committee comprised “folks like Tom, who had been active in the community for a long time, to give extra input to council.”
He described the group as more of a think tank, which offered another perspective to the city council on various matters. Jacober served as chairman and Litzler commended his work as part of the committee and explained that many of the proposals that he brought to council have made the city a better place.
The committee dissolved around 2011 due to lack of funds, but Jacober continued to be an active member of his community.
Jacober did all this while raising four daughters in Fort Wright, many of whom attended the meeting where he was honored.
Around 20 Jacober family members were present for the proclamation and accepted a plaque commemorating the day.
