Obituary of Allan C. Jacobson III
Sandy died July 14, 2023 at Danbury Hospital from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83. Born September 5, 1939 to Lucile Lemaitre and Allan C. Jacobson, Jr. in Hackensack, NJ, he grew up in Ridgewood, was graduated from Cheshire Academy in 1958, attended the University of Colorado and then entered the travel business.
After positions at a number of airlines, he opened a travel agency in Vail, Co. and later joined British Airways, where his responsibilities included organizing trips to take and introduce the supersonic Concorde to travel agents around the country. As head of passenger service at JFK, he handled the visits of members of the British government and the Royal family. Thanks mainly to his kind attention to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana, he was made an honorary member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 1993.
An eye defect kept Sandy from playing ball sports, so he found his way to horseback riding and boats – the two most budget-breaking pastimes! As a kid and teenager he competed in shows in Bergen County and New York, trained with Gordon Wright and eventually competed at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in equitation for the Alfred B. Maclay Trophy
After moving to North Salem in 1995 with his horse Chianti, he joined the North Salem Bridle Trails Association and the Golden Bridge Hounds. When Chianti retired, Sandy purchased Mr. Ed and rode him on the trails, in hunter paces and in the hunt. Sandy was an avid supporter of the North Salem Open Land Foundation and for many years was steward of the Baxter Road Preserve. Just a few months ago he was still walking there with Squeaker, his sister’s Labrador retriever.
Sandy’s life-long passions were horses, boats and remodeling houses. When he wasn’t riding he was on a boat at Fishers Island or working on his house in Weston, Vt, and then remodeling his home here in North Salem. After retiring from British Airways, he started his own driving business, ferrying friends and neighbors to airports and the city.
Sandy is survived by his sister Susan Thompson of North Salem and cousins Janice Thomas of Orefield, PA and Barry Mossman of Burlington, VT. There will be a gathering to celebrate his life in the fall. Friends wishing to honor him may support the North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps, PO Box 427, Croton Falls, NY 10519 or the North Salem Open Land Foundation, PO Box 176, North Salem, NY 10560.
