
yew YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES No. 26 October 1980 Page 1 
MORRIS KARL JACOBSON 
1906 — 1980 
Although Karl Jacobson was formally trained 
was a highly respected teacher of thieves spy og sr neeean ascent 
City school system for more than thirty years, he nevertheless was 
a frustrated student of natural history. He became interested in 
mollusks when he moved to Rockaway Beach in 1937. He collected ex- 
haustively everywhere in the New York City area and made collecting 
trips to Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Central America 
as well as several of the Lesser Antilles. As a result of these. 
excursions, and by exchanging with collectors from all parts of the 
world, Karl assembled a large and well-documented reference collec- 
tion of mollusks, which formed the basis for several of his scien- 
tific publications, totaling some 70 titles. Several of his titles 
were contributions to a monographic study of the Cuban land snails 
of the family Helicinidae in collaboration with Drs. William J. 
Glench and Kenneth J. Boss of Harvard University. His papers re- 
flected his broad interests in malacology and dealt with marine and 
freshwater mollusks, as well as with terrestrial gastropods. 
Shortly after I joined the staff of the American Museum of 
Natural History, Karl asked me to co-author with him the handbook, 
"Shells of the New York City Area" (1961), which was based largely 
on his local collecting experience. In all, he co-authored eight 
popular books, ranging from the semi-technical "American Museum of 
Natural History Guide to Shells" (1976) to six titles in the pres- 
tigious juvenile readership "Wonders" series of Dodd, Mead (1971 
to 1980), dealing with a diversity of invertebrates, including 
mollusks, sponges, corals, starfish, and jellyfish. Additionally, 
Karl contributed numerous articles and book reviews to the "New 
York Shell Club Notes" and other publications. 
Karl was a strong supporter of the malacological program of 
the American Museum of Natural History, where he held the honorary 
title of Associate in Malacology, commencing in 1964. His contri- 
butions included the gift of his valuable shell collection (marine 
in 1969; land and freshwater in 1972), and his extensive collec- 
tion of reprints of articles on mollusks (in 1977). He also made 
generous contributions to the Malacology Research Fund of the 
museum. 
Karl's scholarly achievements, especially in the fields of 
teaching, science, and writing, are legacies to the intellectual 
betterment of mankind. His many friends and colleagues will best 
remember him, however, for his seemingly endless energy in the 
pursuit of knowledge and for the invigorating contagiousness of 
his zest for life. 
William K. Emerson 
Curator of Mollusks 
American Museum of Natural History 
