Whitney Jacobs, 84, of Manchester, husband of the late Edna Jacobs, died Thursday (April 19, 2007) at River Ridge of Avon. Born in Southboro, MA, June 14, 1922 he was the son of the late Ernest Mayo and Clara Helen (Miller) Jacobs. Whitney graduated from Harvard in 1949 with a B.A. in English, and then pursued graduate studies in Journalism at Boston University. Whitney was employed as a Reporter for the Manchester Herald from 1954-1956, and then as a Science and Medicine Reporter for the Hartford Times from 1956-1963. He was later employed by Cornell University from 1963-1966 as a scientific writer and served as Assistant Director of the News Bureau. Then, from 1996-1984, he served as Director of Public Information at the University of Connecticut Health Center, retiring after eighteen years of service. Following his retirement Whitney was a freelance writer, and had been published in the New York Times, with many of the articles written in the interest of Mental Health. The field of mental health was extremely important to Whitney, who along with his wife, Edna, founded the Connecticut Alliance for the Mentally Ill (CAMI). He was a strong advocate on behalf of persons with mental illness and spent many decades lobbying legislators to improve the lives of those individuals who suffered from mental illness. For more than 10 years, Whitney served on the State Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and also served on the North Central Regional Mental Health Board for many years. Whitney was a pioneer in advocacy for mental illness and was widely respected in the mental health community. Whitney was a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War II, having served in the 1st Marine Division. In 1942, he received the Navy Cross for his service at Guadalcanal, which is documented in the book entitled, "Starvation Island." Whitney is survived by his sons, Clayton W. Jacobs of East Windsor, and Rhys M. Jacobs of Manchester; and his niece Lisa Sorensen Ward of Florence, Montana, the daughter of his late sister, Patricia Ann Sorensen. Special thanks to the dedicated staff at River Ridge of Avon, Right at Home �" In-Home Care & Assistance of Wethersfield, and Patient Care of Wethersfield for the high quality services and care that they provided for Whitney. Working relationships developed into friendships that greatly enriched and enhanced his quality of life. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 2 pm at the Louise Rudell Auditorium Manchester Memorial Hospital.