Florence S. Jacobsen

Florence Smith Jacobsen (April 7, 1913 – March 5, 2017) was an American religious leader associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who served as the sixth General President of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association (YWMIA) from 1961 to 1972.

In October 1961, Florence Jacobsen succeeded Bertha S. Reeder as general president of the church's YWMIA.

[1] In 1969, the YWMIA celebrated its centennial and in 1971, Jacobsen oversaw the launch of the New Era, the church's new magazine for youth.

[2] As a church curator, Jacobsen supervised the restoration of many church buildings, including the Promised Valley Playhouse in Salt Lake City; the E. B. Grandin building in Palmyra, New York; the Brigham Young home in St. George, Utah; the Jacob Hamblin home in Santa Clara, Utah; the Newell K. Whitney store in Kirtland, Ohio; and the interior of the Manti Utah Temple.

[3][4] At that time, church president Thomas S. Monson and Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, both spoke of Jacobsen's leadership in preserving historical sites for the LDS Church and her leadership in the Young Women organization.