Dr. Charlotte Acer

Acer, Dr Charlotte C.
Dr. Charlotte Chase Cullingham Acer who had a life-long commitment to education, child psychology, and the arts, moved on to larger life on January 31 at ninety-two years old at home surrounded by her family. Known as Petah by many, she instilled her love of music, art and literature to everyone.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Acer attended The Bishop's School in La Jolla, CA, and Bennington College ('46) where she studied with Buckminster Fuller, Martha Graham, Theodore Roethke and Peter Drucker. At age sixty-five, she received her Doctorate in Education from the University of Buffalo.
In 1946, she married the late Oscar Whedon Acer, Jr. (1918 – 2001), and moved into a historic farmhouse in the village of Williamsville, N.Y. where they raised their three daughters. They were members of the Buffalo Club, devoted parishioners of Calvary Episcopal Church, avid travelers and were actively involved with the Jung Institute in Kusnacht, Switzerland.
In 1965, Dr. Acer and her daughters started a summer day camp, which continued for sixteen years. Their campers were taught French through art, music, drama and dance. This "Joy of Language" camp was the impetus for decades of work with inner city children teaching language through the performing arts. Well into her seventies, she continued to drive into the city in her powder blue Suburban full of costumes, props, and musical instruments to enrich the lives of disadvantaged children. She was working on a book and a website so that any teacher could utilize her ideas and lesson plans to enrich the language programs in their own classrooms. She produced a short children's TV series about Noah's Ark on a public access channel.
Charlotte Acer was a strong supporter of Civil Rights and Planned Parenthood, as well as many other charities and cultural organizations, including: Save the Children, The Buffalo Philharmonic, The Albright-Knox Art Gallery and her beloved Bennington College. She was on the Board of Analytical Psychology Society of Western N.Y., Director of Adult Education at Calvary Church for twenty years, volunteer sculpture teacher at the Psychiatric Center of Buffalo General Hospital, and founder of the Charlotte C. Acer Endowment for Colloquia on Urban Education at the University at Buffalo. A true Renaissance woman, she was an artist, gardener, writer, classical pianist, photographer and an architectural and set designer. She inspired creativity wherever she went and her personalized artwork brought joy to many. She cherished life with an infectious enthusiasm and her joie de vivre touched everyone she met.
In 2011 she sold the family home, affectionately called 'The Sanctuary,' and moved in with her daughter in Greenwich, CT. Her living legacies include her three daughters: Elizabeth Acer Crawford of New York City; Lucinda Acer Harriss of Greenwich and Sarah Acer Allen of Boston, eight grandchildren and three great grand-children.
A celebration of her life will be held at Christ Church Greenwich, February 18th at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please honor her memory by donating in her name to Save the Children Fund