Brenau launches first book,first author,global radio

GAINESVILLE - A first time book signing, the first book from Brenau's University Press, and the first global broadcast from Brenau radio highlighted a rainy Sunday afternoon in Gainesville.

It was a first for John W. Jacobs, Jr.,, busy at his book signing party for his remembrances contained in "The Longer You Live."

"It's overwhelming," he said. "I've never had the experience of signing a book as an author. "It's been wonderful to have so many friends and those who are interested not only in what I've done but primarily what our community has done. "That's what I tried to capture here."

Jacobs chronicles growing up during the Great Depression of the 1930s, his service in Europe during World War ll and his role as a communications pioneer in AM and FM radio, cable television, and the Internet.

"I'm quite proud of the starting of the publishing company," Brenau President Ed Schrader said. "It gives the school the opportunity to present things like these thoughts and memories of John Jacobs and other prominent individuals in an area that has a rich history. "One of the things I hope we can do going forward is to use Brenau University Press to do some documentation of mountain and rural history of Northeast Georgia that might not otherwise make it to the record."

It was also the first official day Brenau's radio station, WBCX-FM, broadcast globally through streaming on the station web site.

"We're celebrating the launch of the global voice of Brenau as well as Brenau University Press and its first book by John W. Jacobs," said Brenau's Assistant Vice President of Communications and Publications David Morrison. "We're doing all this together because John Jacobs' name is synonymous with radio, with WBCX, and with Brenau."