Alan Barry Jacobson—Baltimore native, lifelong civil-rights advocate, lover of cars and cameras and the Constitution, talented performer and proud grandfather—died of pneumonia on November 30, 2025, at age 87.
Born in 1938, the only child of Milton and Helen Jacobson, Alan graduated from Forest Park High School and earned his bachelor's in political science from Johns Hopkins University and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Alan's career in law was devoted to helping preserve and protect civil rights. He was proud to work in the federal government under seven presidential administrations, including many years with the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Dept. of Education, where as a trial attorney he helped desegregate public schools and colleges across the country, protect special education, and much more.
As a consultant to the White House Task Force on Civil Rights under Jimmy Carter, he drafted executive orders to improve civil rights and consumer affairs and help structure the Dept. of Education, earning a presidential citation. Later in his career, at the Maryland Dept. of Education, he worked to ensure that schools provided special education to students with disabilities. Finding retirement too boring, he went on to become an administrative law judge for the Maryland state government and then a hearing examiner for the Baltimore Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement.
Alan was a passionate advocate for the potential of democracy and the power of the Constitution. In his later years at Vantage Point retirement community, in addition to presenting talks on those subjects to his fellow residents, he was known to hand out copies of the Constitution to all in need of its wisdom.
A talented singer and actor, Alan was a longtime member of the Montgomery Savoyards Gilbert & Sullivan troupe and performed in other community musical theater. Whether belting out a tune from "Damn Yankees," performing the Italian national anthem, or tenderly voicing the Kol Nidre for a Yom Kippur service, he garnered praise and attention for his beautiful tenor voice. In his later years he was an extra on Baltimore film and TV productions, including as a morgue worker in his beloved "Homicide: Life on the Streets."
Alan's interests were wide-ranging and consuming. He had a wealth of expertise on automobiles, could identify any on the road by model and year, and delighted in being sought for advice on cars and car repairs. He had similar expertise about photography and cameras, from the Kodak Brownie through today's digital SLRs, and was likewise a wristwatch aficionado.
He was an enthusiastic member of Watson's Tin Box, an Ellicott City group devoted to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries of Arthur Conan Doyle. He was a lifelong student of history with a special interest in the WWII Pacific Theater. And he loved being part of the community in independent living at the Residences at Vantage Point, where he was a member of the acting/performing club, eagerly attended guest performances and lectures, and played bridge with the bridge club until his final weeks.
An avid Orioles and Ravens fan, Alan was at both the first and last O's games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, and was thrilled to be cheering in the stands as the O's won their first World Series in 1966.
However, none of these passions could match his enduring passion for the love of his life: Wanda Mathews, his second wife, to whom he was married for more than 30 years until she passed away in 2018. He also found deep pleasure in the love of his family and pride in the accomplishments of his two children, Jonas and Meredith Jacobson; their spouses, Gabrielle Jacobson and Preben Borch; and his five grandchildren: Samuel, Eleanor, and Meyer Jacobson, and Skye and Zev Jacobson Borch.
A singular character who could argue about the primacy of the First Amendment one second and quote the Marx Brothers the next, Alan cherished community and his family as well as a good corned beef sandwich. He was a big personality, and he leaves a big void for all who knew him.
A service will be held at a later date at Vantage Point in Columbia, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the ACLU or Democracy Docket.
Born in 1938, the only child of Milton and Helen Jacobson, Alan graduated from Forest Park High School and earned his bachelor's in political science from Johns Hopkins University and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Alan's career in law was devoted to helping preserve and protect civil rights. He was proud to work in the federal government under seven presidential administrations, including many years with the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Dept. of Education, where as a trial attorney he helped desegregate public schools and colleges across the country, protect special education, and much more.
As a consultant to the White House Task Force on Civil Rights under Jimmy Carter, he drafted executive orders to improve civil rights and consumer affairs and help structure the Dept. of Education, earning a presidential citation. Later in his career, at the Maryland Dept. of Education, he worked to ensure that schools provided special education to students with disabilities. Finding retirement too boring, he went on to become an administrative law judge for the Maryland state government and then a hearing examiner for the Baltimore Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement.
Alan was a passionate advocate for the potential of democracy and the power of the Constitution. In his later years at Vantage Point retirement community, in addition to presenting talks on those subjects to his fellow residents, he was known to hand out copies of the Constitution to all in need of its wisdom.
A talented singer and actor, Alan was a longtime member of the Montgomery Savoyards Gilbert & Sullivan troupe and performed in other community musical theater. Whether belting out a tune from "Damn Yankees," performing the Italian national anthem, or tenderly voicing the Kol Nidre for a Yom Kippur service, he garnered praise and attention for his beautiful tenor voice. In his later years he was an extra on Baltimore film and TV productions, including as a morgue worker in his beloved "Homicide: Life on the Streets."
Alan's interests were wide-ranging and consuming. He had a wealth of expertise on automobiles, could identify any on the road by model and year, and delighted in being sought for advice on cars and car repairs. He had similar expertise about photography and cameras, from the Kodak Brownie through today's digital SLRs, and was likewise a wristwatch aficionado.
He was an enthusiastic member of Watson's Tin Box, an Ellicott City group devoted to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries of Arthur Conan Doyle. He was a lifelong student of history with a special interest in the WWII Pacific Theater. And he loved being part of the community in independent living at the Residences at Vantage Point, where he was a member of the acting/performing club, eagerly attended guest performances and lectures, and played bridge with the bridge club until his final weeks.
An avid Orioles and Ravens fan, Alan was at both the first and last O's games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, and was thrilled to be cheering in the stands as the O's won their first World Series in 1966.
However, none of these passions could match his enduring passion for the love of his life: Wanda Mathews, his second wife, to whom he was married for more than 30 years until she passed away in 2018. He also found deep pleasure in the love of his family and pride in the accomplishments of his two children, Jonas and Meredith Jacobson; their spouses, Gabrielle Jacobson and Preben Borch; and his five grandchildren: Samuel, Eleanor, and Meyer Jacobson, and Skye and Zev Jacobson Borch.
A singular character who could argue about the primacy of the First Amendment one second and quote the Marx Brothers the next, Alan cherished community and his family as well as a good corned beef sandwich. He was a big personality, and he leaves a big void for all who knew him.
A service will be held at a later date at Vantage Point in Columbia, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the ACLU or Democracy Docket.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Alan Barry Jacobson, please visit our flower store.
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