DeLong chosen as recipient of Jacob Family Scholarship

Staff
Posted 7/23/20

MENDOTA – Mendota High School senior Noah DeLong was selected to receive the 2020 Clara Cypreansen and Alfred O. Jacob Scholarship.

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DeLong chosen as recipient of Jacob Family Scholarship

Posted

MENDOTA – Mendota High School senior Noah DeLong was selected to receive the 2020 Clara Cypreansen and Alfred O. Jacob Scholarship. The scholarship was awarded during MHS’s graduation ceremonies on July 18. DeLong is the 23rd MHS senior to receive the Jacob Family Scholarship, which carries an award of $1,000.

Upon the death of Clara Jacob in 1997, the Jacob Family Scholarship Fund was established by Jeanne Jacob along with her husband, Gerry Frank and her brother, Tom Jacob. The scholarship was created to honor the memories of Clara Cypreansen Jacob, who taught in Mendota public schools for more than 35years, and Alfred Otto Jacob, a civic leader and life-long resident of Mendota. Both of the Jacob children were raised in Mendota and are MHS graduates. Tom matriculated in 1958 and Jeanne in 1965. Her class would have celebrated its 55th reunion this year, but it was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the scholarship is to provide assistance for an MHS student to attend a college of choice. Both Clara and Al Jacob strongly believed in higher education and thought that continued education was the key to future success in life.

Throughout their lives, Clara and Al Jacob were involved with Mendota’s youth. Al was a founding member of the Boy Scouts of Mendota and the Mendota Athletic Boosters Society. Clara first taught physical education at Mendota High School and then third grade at Lincoln School. After retiring from teaching, she tutored children in reading and English. Both helped design and raise funds to build the Mendota Community Swimming Pool in 1958 and served on the board of the Pool Association. At the time of his death in 1984, Al Jacob was the longest serving alderman in Mendota’s history.

DeLong, the son of Michael and Janet DeLong of Mendota, plans to attend Olivet Nazarene University to study history education. He is also extremely involved in music and will likely continue to find ways to cultivate and share that passion in college and later in teaching.

Clara and Al Jacob would be pleased to know that, long after their deaths, they are still helping the youth of Mendota.