Road to honorable started in Hunt

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I’ve thought about it a lot lately. My parents put me in a position to help people.

— Mike Jacobs

Johnson County Judge Mike Jacobs leans on the front porch post of his childhood home in Hunt, Ark. Road to honorable started in Hunt

By Scott Perkins County Lines Editor

Going to the store isn’t what it used to be.

Mike Jacobs, a fifth generation Johnson countian and long-time public servant, has served as Johnson County Judge for 20 years, but the 64-year-old man he is today started to take shape in a country store in the 1950s in the community of Hunt, Ark.

J.O. and Pauline Jacobs owned and operated the Hunt Store for 75 years until 2007. J.O. also served about 20 years in the United States Forestry Service.

Jacobs was the youngest of five boys and he said he could remember his first job at the store “just like it was yesterday,” even though times were different back then.

“At the time, most people didn’t have anything and daddy always had to work,” Jacobs said. “I was the baby and my first job was cleaning and sweeping the store. Nobody had money, but people still needed things.”

Trading and bartering was common in those days, and he said it was also commonplace for the store to extend credit so residents could provide for their families.

“Growing up in the store, we were always around people,” he said. “I learned that the people mattered and if we could help them along the way, then it was just that much better.”

Jacobs developed a community-minded attitude through his experiences at the store and his parents’ commitment to him paved the way for his future.

“The sacrifices my mom and dad made for me had a lot to do with how I got here,” Jacobs said. “Sharing their work ethic with me taught me a lot. It was basically: if you start it, finish it, and if you are going do it, really do it right.”

After mastering sweeping and cleaning at 5 years old, Mike laughingly said his duties at the store advanced to casing eggs and milking cows as well.

“We would case 125-150 cases of eggs a day,” Jacobs remembered. “Daddy would make you eat an egg if you broke it. You learned real quick to be fast and not break any eggs.”

However, milking the cows garnered a sweet reward.

“Whoever milked the cows that day got the cream!” Jacobs said.

Jacobs was the first of the five sons to have an opportunity to go to college, and that opportunity was realized through sacrifice by his parents and his athletic ability.

He recalled the exact moment when he “gained a new perspective” and knew he wanted to go to college.

“I was 14 and working at a turkey plant cutting legs and …,” Mike said shaking his head. “On my last day, they let me hang turkeys and I made the decision right there that I wanted to go to college.”

Jacobs said the family didn’t have the money for college, and an athletic scholarship was his opportunity to be the first in the family to earn a college degree.

The Hartman School did not have organized sports, so the Jacobs obtained an address and a place to stay in the city limits of Clarksville while Pauline continued to run the store about 20 miles away and J.O. continued to work for the forestry service. They did all this so their youngest could be a Panther and play sports for Clarksville High School.

This image hangs in Mike Jacob’s office in the courthouse. It is a Johnson County Graphic newspaper article titled, “Visiting the Country Store.” Pictured are J.O. and Pauline Jacobs on their 60th anniversary. They were also celebrating their 60th year of operating the store.

I enjoy going out to pasture and finding a new calf. I don’t mind bush hogging

either ... You can’t hear the cell phone.

— Mike Jacobs

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Above: The Hunt Store still stands today. Jacobs recently painted the building. Below: Various images from inside the old store.

Jacobs points out a landmark on his property in Johnson County from his back porch. When he isn’t serving as judge, Jacobs is most likely enjoying time on the farm. He currently has about 160 head of cattle.

“They had to be faithful to do that and I was the only boy to get to go to college,” he said. “They did it for me for all four years of high school.”

Jacobs excelled in athletics and loved basketball but played everything.

“My favorite sport was basketball,” Jacobs said. “But that’s not the sport that got me there.”

After four years of high school and playing basketball, football and track, his higher education goals became a reality as he accepted a full scholarship to play football for coach Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas after graduating in 1965 from Clarksville High School.

Jacobs earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the university and landed a position with Exxon Mobile. He was based in Lumberton, Texas, for eight years and also served on the Lumberton School board from 1975-76.

His position with Exxon put him in the fast lane and it demanded long hours and nationwide travel. After eight successful years in the marketing department, he decided it was time to go home.

“I really enjoyed those years with Exxon, but I don’t regret coming back home for one minute,” Jacobs said. “There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. I love this simple life.”

He returned to Johnson County and lived in Clarksville and focused on farming and family. He also served as an alderman on the Clarksville City Council for several years before he moved out of the city limits and back into the county.

He was elected county judge in 1991.

“I’ve thought about it a lot lately,” Jacobs said. “My parents put me in a position to help other people.”

And there is no argument that he has helped the people of Johnson County.

When Jacobs isn’t steering the wheel that helps his county prosper, he enjoys the simple life in a rural community where the people you pass matter.

Farming is Jacobs’ trade and he maintains a 160-head herd in the county.

“I enjoy going out to pasture and finding a new calf,” Jacobs said with a glare in his eye. “I don’t mind bush hogging either … I can’t hear the cell phone.”

Watching his grandkids play sports and tending to the land is what he does in his free time.

But through the years, Jacobs has tended to more than just his land and cattle. He’s tended to his community and helped nurture it to prosperity.

Today, he stands tall with Johnson County.

Jacobs has been married to Sandra for 26 years and they both have three children.

Mike’s sons are Cliff, Bruce and Mathew Jacobs. Sandra’s children include Angie Richardson and Kevin and Nathan Brown.

Mike and Sandra enjoy 11 grandchildren.