Herbert William Acker

Herbert William (Bill) Acker, a retired regional managing partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP (PWC), died March 1st of complications from cancer at his beloved Stone House Farm in Churchville, MD. He was 70.

Born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Bill Acker was the only son of Charles Lewis Acker and Irene Hyman Acker. At the age of twelve, he worked two jobs to support his family after his mother remained hospitalized from a heart attack at age 39.

In high school his talent for the trombone was extraordinary, and he played in dance bands frequently, even playing with Tommy Dorsey once. Though he was offered a full college scholarship for playing trombone, he declined and, instead, worked his way through Lebanon Valley College.

He became a C.P.A. and, upon graduation from college in 1963, was offered a position with Price Waterhouse in their New York office. The Vietnam war interceded, and he was drafted into the army to serve as a communications officer in Southeast Asia. Price Waterhouse held the job for him, and he began working for the firm in Manhattan in 1965 after his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army.

In 1970, he was selected for Price Waterhouse’s International Exchange Program and worked in London and Birmingham, England. During this time he pursued postgraduate studies at St. John’s College at Oxford University. Subsequently, he was chosen for Price Waterhouse’s Partners International Program, during which time, from 1978 to 1980, he lived and worked in Hong Kong for Price Waterhouse. He and his family retained their house in Fallston, Maryland. In 1982, he was promoted to the Managing Partner of the Baltimore office of Price Waterhouse and moved back to Maryland.

In 1989, he was promoted again to the Regional Managing Partner of the Chesapeake Region of Price Waterhouse, which included all of their offices throughout Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia.

Mr. Acker served on myriad Boards, but most notably and recently he actively served as:

o Former Chairman of the Board for the Kennedy Krieger Institute; Director Emeritus of Kennedy Krieger Institute

o Board Officer and Chairman of the Finance Committee, Upper Chesapeake Health System

o Board Member, Upper Chesapeake Health/University of Maryland Medical System

o Director and Chairman of the Finance Committee, Harford Community College Foundation

o Board Officer and Chairman of the Finance Committee, Harford Day School (where his grandsons attended)

o Board Member, St. Paul’s School (where his grandsons currently attend)

o Past Board member, The Center Club

o Past Board member, the Franklin P. Purdue School of Business of Salisbury State University (now Salisbury University)

He remained a devoted parishioner of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Bel Air, MD, enthusiastic member of Maryland Golf and Country Clubs in Bel Air, MD, and he enjoyed hunting, travel, golf, and bridge and spending time at their home in Ocean City, MD.

Mr. Acker is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carolyn Gibson Acker; his two sons, John Charles Acker and Peter Keene Acker; his grandsons, Christopher William Acker, Michael John Acker, Kenneth Robert Phillips III, and Christian Andrew Phillips; and Gussy, his loyal yellow Labrador Retriever.

A visitation will be held Thursday, March 7th from 6 – 9 pm at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Bel Air, MD (303 N. Main St), and a funeral service will be held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Friday, March 8th at 10 am. Interment to follow at Highview Memorial Gardens in Fallston.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 303 N. Main St., Bel Air, MD, 21014, or the Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation, Inc., 520 Upper Chesapeake Dr., Suite 405, Bel Air, MD 21014.