David Clark Jacobsen ’69, M.D., Needham, Mass., died on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2012, succumbing to complications of treatments for esophageal cancer first diagnosed in 1996. Dave is survived by his wife Gabriela and sons Martin, Matias, Christopher and Brian as well as his mother Jacqueline, brothers Ken ’71 and Garry ’75 and his sister Mardi. Dave graduated from Dartmouth Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. While at the College he was a member of the swim team, Alpha Theta and Casque & Gauntlet. Dave is remembered by friends and fraternity brothers as a compassionate and dedicated man of prodigious intellect. Following Dartmouth he earned his medical degree at the University of Florida and completed his surgical residency at the University of Arizona. In 1991 he joined the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where he was also an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School where his residents voted him Teacher of the Year a number of times.
After his 1996 diagnosis, Dave went through radical surgeries and devastating complications of his disease, but he fought back to heightened professional success and insight. His triathlete conditioning and unshakable resolve extended his life many years.
Dave has a lengthy Dartmouth family history including his grandfather, father, an uncle and his two brothers. In the words of his brother, Garry, Dave was an extraordinary man of almost boundless intellect, taken much too soon. He is missed by us all.
These classmate obituary pages are our attempt to honor and remember classmates who have passed away. We have attempted to find and share a public obituary and have added some photos and classmate comments. In some cases we have not been able to find an obituary. If you know of an obituary where one is missing, please let us know. If you have a remembrance you think is important to share, please let us know. Comments can be submitted through the Contact Us form on this web site.