NEWPORT, Ore. — It’s not uncommon for Symone Hildenbrand to be called “Kaety” at the Oregon State University Extension Service office in Lincoln County.
During her internship this past summer with OSU Extension, Hildenbrand walked the same halls where her mother, Kaety Jacobson, and grandfather, Bob Jacobson, worked for Oregon Sea Grant Extension.
“The thing about a multigenerational family working for Extension is that you develop a strong sense of community and really value it. That’s what Extension is all about.”
That makes three generations of one family serving through OSU Extension. Bob Jacobson became the nation’s first Sea Grant Extension agent in 1967 and retired in 1995. His daughter, Kaety Jacobson, began working in Extension in 2004 — at her father’s former desk.
Bob Jacobson was deeply involved in the Newport community throughout his career and passed that sense of service on to his daughter.
“Kaety was around Extension a lot,” Bob Jacobson said. “When you are so ingrained in the community and your kids see your work, they think, ‘That’s what I want.’”
A second generation of service
Kaety Jacobson was working as a marine educator at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport when the West Coast rockfish fishery collapsed. That event prompted her to follow in her father’s footsteps.
“I saw a disaster in an industry that I care about, so I decided to shift my role to helping fishermen during a difficult time,” she said. “Through my dad’s work, I recognized the importance of that role.”
Jacobson left Extension in 2019 after being elected a Lincoln County commissioner. During her Extension career, she led several initiatives with the fishing industry and Lincoln County, including the popular Shop at the Dock series, which draws crowds to Port Docks 3, 5 and 7.
Hildenbrand was closely connected to her mother’s Extension work.
“I was pregnant with Symone when I started with Sea Grant Extension,” Jacobson said. “Symone grew up in Extension with me.”
“Growing up, I learned to be very community based, which has been very helpful and definitely influenced my career,” Hildenbrand said. “I want to help my community.”
A third generation steps in
Before her internship, Hildenbrand participated in 4-H, showing dogs under the guidance of the same club leader who worked with her mother years earlier.
“Valuing your community and working to make it better is something my dad took home, something I took home and something Symone values,” Jacobson said. “The internship was a natural fit for her.”
Hildenbrand said working in the office as an employee felt different from visiting as a child.
“I can’t just take all the candy out of the candy jars,” she said.
During her internship, Hildenbrand contributed to several Extension projects — including some her mother had previously worked on. Her final project was a presentation to Master Gardener volunteers on accessible gardening.
Hildenbrand is now in her first year at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, majoring in gerontology. She hopes to continue working in community-focused roles after graduation, potentially as an activities coordinator at a senior center.
“The thing about a multigenerational family working for Extension is that you develop a strong sense of community and really value it,” Kaety Jacobson said. “That’s what Extension is all about.”
Previously titled Extension tradition reaches third generation in Lincoln County
