Saturday, May 7
Old Dominion University will present Judge Marc Jacobson with an honorary doctorate at its graduation ceremony next month.
Jacobson served as a judge in the Commonwealth of Virginia for 14 years after practicing law for 32 years. He sat on the Norfolk General District Court from 1990 to 1995 and on the Norfolk Circuit Court from 1995 to 2004, serving as chief judge of the Circuit Court from 2001 to 2003. He remains active as a substitute judge and arbitrator throughout eastern Virginia.
Jacobson is a past president of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Temple Israel of Norfolk and the Arnold Gamsey Lodge of B’nai B’rith. He was appointed a lifetime trustee of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation. Jacobson has received the Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
He served as rector of the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion from 2006 to 2008 and a member of the board from 2004 to 2014.
Jacobson and his wife, Connie, established the annual Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Lecture as part of the Old Dominion University President’s Lecture Series, as well as a full scholarship for the women’s basketball team. The Athletic Academic Center, the Welcome Center at the Ted Constant Convocation Center and the president’s house at the university all bear their name.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Symphony and the Chrysler Museum of Art. He and his wife have established an annual lectureship at the Institute of Humanities at the University of Michigan, and he serves on the Board of Visitors of the institute. The Jacobsons also are sponsoring the Battleship Engineering Tour on the Battleship Wisconsin.
Jacobson received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
After enlisting with the U.S. Army Reserves, he received a commission in the Army to the Judge Advocate General Corps.
The Jacobsons have two children, Steven Jacobson and Susan Jacobson Coburn.