George Acker

George H. Acker, age 82, passed away on July 20, 2011 following complications from a stroke. He was born August 22, 1928 in Dixon, Illinois, the son of George Sr. and Mildred (Thomas) Acker.

George will be dearly missed by his family, friends and the many athletes he coached. He was a humble and trustworthy man with a great sense of humor. He touched many lives and inspired those around him to live with purpose and integrity.

George grew up in Dixon, Illinois and graduated from Dixon High School in 1946. After spending the next 2 years working with his father to save money for college, he attended Northern Illinois University (NIU) receiving a B.S. in Education in 1952 and M.S in Administration in 1953. George was also captain of both the NIU football and tennis teams, where in 1951, he led the football team to an undefeated season and the conference championship. It was at the NIU sports banquet that Nancy Clouston (Acker) first laid eyes on George when he went up to receive the championship trophy as captain of the football team. On June 18, 1955, George and Nancy were united in marriage in Chicago, Illinois. They have been the love of each other’s lives for 56 years.

Upon graduation, George served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict for two years. He then became head tennis coach and JV football coach at NIU (1955-57), while also teaching physical education and working in public relations. In 1957, George was hired by Rich Township High School in Park Forest, Illinois as a teacher, head tennis coach and assistant football coach. While in Park Forest, he started and directed the city tennis program.

George joined the faculty at Kalamazoo College in December 1958. At K-College, George coached the Men’s tennis team for 35 years. Besides tennis, he also coached football (1959-68), wrestling (1960-66) and Cross Country (1984-88). George coached his tennis teams to 35 consecutive MIAA championships and 7 NCAA Division III Team Championships. He was named the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1991, and NCAA Division III Coach of the Decade in 1990. George loved working with his players and he had a special quality for recognizing their potential and developing their abilities to the fullest. During his career, 38 of his players earned All-American honors.

As a professor, he loved interacting with his students and in 1986 was honored with the K-College Lucasse Lectureship Recognition, the highest faculty honor for outstanding teaching. He had a passion for both tennis and teaching, and found joy in sharing the game with all ages and abilities. He directed the Kalamazoo City Tennis Program for 8 years, created and ran both the George Acker Tennis School for 13 years and the Kalamazoo College Tennis Camp for 25 years. He was president of the Western Michigan Tennis Association for 10 years where he was instrumental in the Inter-City Tennis Program. In 1999, the K-College Alumni Association presented George with the Weimer K. Hicks Award for his invaluable contributions to the entire K-College community.

He was inducted into many Halls of Fame including Northern Illinois University, Kalamazoo College, the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association and the Western Tennis Association. For over 50 years, George was involved in the USTA Boys 16 & 18 Nationals, serving as assistant director and associate referee. In 1983 he was presented with the Green Jacket Award, symbolic of his service to the tournament.

George was devoted to his wife and four daughters. Nancy joined him on most tennis trips and was affectionately called “Mrs. Coach” by the K-College players. George was ahead of his time in understanding the strength of girls in sports and the importance of girls competing. He coached his four daughters throughout their high school, college and professional careers. All were high-school tennis players and three went on to play Division I tennis. Two of his daughters were collegiate All-Americans; one went on to be ranked #26 in the world in women’s professional tennis. In 1973 the Acker family received the United States Tennis Association Tennis Family of the Year, an award he very much cherished.

He was a faithful member of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church and enjoyed volunteering his time for the Meals on Wheels program, the Shepherd’s Center and Ministry with Community.

He was preceded in death by his parents & brother, Floyd Acker, an air force major who lost his life serving his country. Surviving are his wife, Nancy, his sister, Helen Schmidt of Elmhurst, Illinois and sister-in-law Kay Acker of Orlando, Florida, daughters Judy Acker-Smith (Rick Smith) of Portage, Michigan, Cindy Acker of Livonia, Michigan, Sherry Acker of Jacksonville, Florida, and Gigi Acker (Hugh Cooney) of Los Altos, California. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Kristalyn (Smith) Musselman, Ashley Smith, Shannon Smith, Jason Lewis, Ryan Lewis, Shane Cooney and Andrew Cooney, plus two great grandchildren Kohlee Musselman and Vanessa Lewis.

His family loved him deeply and will miss him forever.

To celebrate the life of a husband, father, teacher, coach and friend, a Facebook page “Coach George Acker Memorial” has been created to share photos and memories. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of life will be held at Kalamazoo College’s Stetson Chapel on Sunday July 31st at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be directed to the following:

Kalamazoo College, where a George Acker Memorial Scholarship Fund will be created in his honor. Kalamazoo College, Office for College Advancement, 1200 Academy Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49006 or Portage Chapel Hill United Methodist Church 7028 Oakland Drive, Portage, MI 49024. For more information, please contact Betzler Life Story Funeral Home at 269 375-2900.