SR0478 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0478 LRB096 15271 GRL 30362 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Thomas C. Jacobson of Tucson, Arizona, formerly of Chicago and Elk Grove Village, who passed away on September 24, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Jacobson served his country with pride and distinction as a member of the United States Naval Reserves for 7 years; after serving in the Reserve, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1953 aboard the oil tanker The Merrimac during the Korean War; while serving on The Merrimac, he was responsible for ordering food supplies for the ship's crew; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Jacobson was a 60-year veteran of the food industry, with 35 years of experience in senior management of supermarket and bakery products manufacturing; his first job was at a Jewel Foods store, where he worked as a stockboy; he soon moved to the position of produce manager; after college, he returned to Jewel and quickly worked his way up to assistant store manager and bakery manager; he then took a position in the head office and worked in communications, sales promotion, and merchandising; he also served as Regional Bakery Manager for many Jewel stores; and

WHEREAS, After leaving Jewel Foods, Thomas Jacobson worked as a bakery product consultant for numerous companies, including French Baker, Cookie Factory, Burny Brothers, and Heineman Bakeries; he then started his own company, Custom Food Specialists, and worked as a bakery consultant for companies such as Sara Lee, Keebler, and Perkins Restaurants until his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Jacobson was an avid fan of Asian cooking; he began his hobby in 1962 after meeting a neighbor who dabbled in Chinese cooking; enamored with Asian cuisine, he held many Chinese New Year parties with his friends; he also taught adult education Asian cooking classes throughout the 1970s and 1980s and taught his skills to hundreds of people in his area; and

WHEREAS, In 2001, Thomas Jacobson published his cookbook, Oriental Cooking Without Oil, which featured a complete collection of sauces and entrees from China, Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Indonesia, and Japan; in 1985, he obtained a copyright for his "Jac" Mix formula, which replaced the 265 calorie per ounce oil typically used in Asian cuisine with a 20 calorie per ounce chicken broth mixture; "Jac" Mix was featured in 2 advertisements in the Chicago Tribune in 1985 and the Chicago Sun-Times in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Jacobson is survived by his wife, Lee; his son, Tom; his daughters, Terry, Kirsten, and Mary; his sister, Fran; and his 8 grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Thomas C. Jacobson; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Thomas Jacobson as an expression of our sympathy.