The Jakovinas’ love for the natural world took root in their California childhoods. Bob, of San Mateo, loved hiking in the Sierra Nevada foothills with his grandfather. Harriet, of Woodside, recalls the joy of her first camping trip among the giant sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees State Park.
After meeting in college, the pair studied biology and education together at San Jose State University. Then they married and pursued their passions.
“We taught for 35 years, and our focus was environmental science in every form we could do it,” Harriet says.
As an elementary schoolteacher, Harriet took her students on field trips around the San Francisco Peninsula. She also worked with Bob on his high school students’ field ecology trips to Mexico.
“When we wrote our will, we wanted to include the land we love,” Harriet says.
As dedicated League members for 50 years, the Jakovinas are proud of doing their part to conserve ancient giants and their rare and precious forests.
Now their thoughtful planning will support their passions beyond their lifetimes.
“Our estate is for the children of the future,” Bob says.
You can learn how make a planned gift to protect the redwood forest; visit MyRedwoodsLegacy.org.
