Business & Professional

WSU's Jacob Imprint

Descendants' graduations turn spotlight on Max Jacob House.

Christy Strawser
Special to the Jewish News

V

isitors to the landmark Max
Jacob House on the Wayne State
University campus in Detroit are
sure to notice the large, wrought iron "J"
embedded in the first-floor fireplace chim-
ney.
It may just look like decoration from a
bygone era, but it represents a family that's
still thriving, a business that has bucked
trends and a legacy of generosity
"It's very nostalgic every time I go, espe-
cially when I go inside,' says Bruce Jacob, 59,
a West Bloomfield resident and podiatrist in
Sterling Heights. "To see the T in the chim-
ney, it's a great feeling — you get a little glow
from it."
More than 120 years after family patriarch
Max Jacob arrived in the United States in
1882, Bruce Jacob's children, Alison Jacob
and Gregory Jacob, will graduate this week
from Wayne State. Alison earned a master's
degree in engineering and Gregory earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration.
"My dad is really proud:' says Alison, 27, of

Clinton Township.
And a gathering of family and friends
is planned later this year at the Max Jacob
House to celebrate the 125th anniversary of
M. Jacob & Sons, a Farmington Hills-based
bottling and packaging company thriving in
this tough economy.
Gregory Jacob, 24, of West Bloomfield,
links both worlds as he plans to work for the
company whose success allowed Max Jacob
to build his dream home off Cass Avenue,
which later became part of the Wayne State
campus.
"Watching members of the family gradu-
ate five generations after the original link
was established many years ago is truly
special',' says Christopher Polk, assistant vice
president of alumni relations at Wayne State.
"Wayne State University has a rich history
of alumni family legacy and the Jacob family,
in particular, has been at the core of the uni-
versity fabric for many years."
Gregory Jacob is humble about the legacy,
saying he never points out the house to
friends on campus, though he loves passing
by.
"I feel a family connection to the house; I

Bruce, Alison, Gregory and Joan Jacob

saw pictures of it at the business after I start-
ed interning there and it all started to click','
says Gregory. "But I don't want to be walking
around saying,look at this:"
Now on the National Register of Historic
Places, the Max Jacob House is used for

entertaining distinguished guests at Wayne
State. It's meant to make an impression, as
the largest historic house on the university's
campus.

WSU's Jacob on page 46

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