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One Last Assignment – Melville Jacoby’s Story
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With a hand-in-hand leap from a burning dock onto the last boat out of Manila Harbor on New Year's Eve, 1941, World War II-era journalists Melville and Annalee Jacoby began an island journey unlike any other honeymoon. Just arrived from China and married only a week before Pearl Harbor, the couple found themselves traveling by boat only by night, fleeing from a Japanese blacklist and near-certain execution. This was just the culmination of a legendary romance sparked amid the flames of war. The escape also provided the denouement for the incredible true story of a rudderless college student's transformation into a confident, handsome correspondent whose prescient reporting, leading-man charm and incredible good fortune set him on the path toward becoming one of the most important journalists of the 20th Century, that is, had he not taken one crucial detour. This is a journey whose first steps began years earlier amid what turned out to be the first shots of World War II. What was meant to be a typical year studying abroad left a privileged but conscientious young man forever enamored with China and its emergence on the world stage.
Combining the memories of Mel's surviving family and friends with extensive research into his personal life and career, exciting multimedia features, and a gripping narrative, an upcoming book will tell Mel's story of adventure, romance and tragedy during a time of great global upheaval. The story Mel didn't get to tell.
Stay tuned. In the meantime, I am grateful for any support to keep me working on Mel's story.
- Mel-Jacks-sitting
- Mel with Camera
- boat
- CKY young
- CKY Mel and Dog
- Mel in suit
- Mel and George Ching in Garden
- Pile of Photos
- Mel in Bus Window
- Mel on Bus Typing
- Madame Chiang
- Chinese Troops With RoC flag
- Chinese Troops Sitting
- Coolie with Rickshaw in Chungking
- Soldier in Chungking Air Raid Shelter
- Chungking Bomb Aftermath With Smoke
- Soldier on Stretcher
- Mel and Annalee Wedding Day
- Uniformed Mel and Annalee
- Soldiers smoking around table
- Soldiers walking through village with townspeople following
- Villagers Looking Out At Sea
- Mel and Annalee drinking from Coconut
- Note re escape from DH
- Telegram Re March of Time
- Annalee Telegram to Elza re death
- Clark Lee note to Annalee Re Death
- signature cropped out
- Melville and Chan Ka Yik Set 10002
- Press Card Front_0001
- Press Card (Back)_0001
- Mel Video Screenshot
Lascher @ Large
Stories Told