With it’s largest enrollment in years (approximately 500 students), Fork Union Military Academy is beginning construction on a new dormitory for upper school students. To be named Jacobson Hall in honor of Jerry and Laura Jacobson of Sugarcreek, Ohio, the  three-story building- almost 100,000 square feet- will have 250 two-man rooms and be almost double the size of current facilities.

FUMA began fundraising appeals for the project back in September; by December, slow donations put the project into question. Then, the Jacobsons- parents of two FUMA students- made the largest ever cash contribution to the school, $10.1 million.

As Jerry Jacobson told the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

‘It was just a heartfelt thing I wanted to do to help the future generations of young men in the country.  It was hopefully a building block to help keep Fork Union up and going for many years in the future.”