Robert W. Akers ’48

Bob died Jan. 13, 2025, at age 99.

Born in Cleveland, he prepped at nearby University School in Shaker Heights and was the first of three brothers to attend Princeton. He served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946 and then earned his A.B. with honors, in economics. He was a member of the varsity cross country and track teams and took his meals at Colonial.

Bob earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and had a long and distinguished career at the Burroughs Corp. (now Unisys), retiring as managing director. He and his wife, Elizabeth “Bee,” moved four times in and out of Detroit and lived 10 years overseas during his career. While serving as managing director in the United Kingdom, Bob hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on a tour of the company’s factory in Scotland.

After leaving Burroughs, Bob returned to Shaker Heights and purchased Bedford Lithograph. He also purchased a local fire- and water-damage restoration franchise. Active in many community activities and a lifelong athlete, at age 77, Bob ran, carrying the Olympic torch, into Shaker Square, when it was on its way to Salt Lake City in 2002.

Of Princeton, Bob wrote in ’48’s 50th-reunion yearbook: “It emphasized the importance of continuing study, making it a routine and pleasant part of my life. It established, in a way, a second permanent home, a place to come back to and enjoy anytime.”

Bob was predeceased by Bee in 2017 and by his brother David ’50. He is survived by his children, Beth ’81, Jeannette D’Alessandro, and Scott; one grandchild; and brother Bruce ’56.