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1925 - 2016

BORN

1925

DIED

2016

About

Harvard University Northwestern University

Marshall Ackerman Obituary

Marshall Ackerman died on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 7th, 2016. He had been residing at Heritage House, an assisted living facility in Goleta, CA, for several months leading up to his passing. Prior to that, he had spent the past 25 years in the Toro Canyon home that he and his late wife, Carol, had built as their retirement escape. In Santa Barbara, Marshall was past chairman of the American Institute of Wine & Food; vice-chairman of the UCSB Communications Dept. Advisory Board; and a frequent consultant to the regional health food and health media industries. Prior to relocating to Santa Barbara, Marshall resided in Allentown and served as vice-chairman of Rodale Press, Inc. and publisher of Prevention, Organic Gardening and Theatre Crafts magazines. During his 35-year presence in the Lehigh Valley, he also served as president of the PA Stage Company; trustee of Cedar Crest College; president of the Lions Club; Board of Governors of Civic Little Theatre; Allentown Arts Commission; chairman of the local chapter of the Foundation for Independent Colleges; and director of the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Marshall was an avid collector, most notably of William McKinley memorabilia. He amassed a museum-worthy trove of portraits, photos, documents, correspondence, drawings, campaign artifacts, and funerary ephemera relating to the 25th president. He often remarked that he began collecting McKinley "because no one else would." Marshall Ackerman was born on January 22, 1925, in New York City, the son of Albert and Beatrice (Munstuk) Ackerman. He served bravely in the Vosges Mountains of France during World War II and was decorated with the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He attended Harvard University and received his A.B. in American Literature in 1949. The following year, he attained an M.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. Survivors: Marshall is survived by three sons: Stark, residing in Portland, OR; Scott, residing in Goleta, CA; and Marc, residing in Kirkland, WA. A sister, Irene Maher, lives in Ramsey, NJ. His two grandchildren, Evan Ackerman and Colin Ackerman, reside in Bethesda, MD, and Portland, OR, respectively. Carol, his wife of 62 years, died in 2010. Contributions: In lieu of flowers, donations can be directed to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of Santa Barbara (www.vnhcsb.org) A website wherein friends may post a tribute to Marshall can be accessed via http://marshall.ackerman.muchloved.com/

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Published by Morning Call on Mar. 16, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Marshall Ackerman

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4 Entries

April 4, 2016

Marshall was a class act, whether acting as a principle at Rodale Press or our gracious host at business conventions. He represented his organization with great integrity with a little bit of humor at times. He clearly left his mark in Allentown as well as Santa Barbara. I consider myself fortunate have known him.
George McTurk, Mattapoisett, Ma

March 18, 2016

I worked for Marshall at Rodale Press in 1961 after graduating from Emmaus High School. Marshall was brilliant and served JI Rodale, founder of our modern organic movement and his son, Bob, with full committment and expected the same of his staff. His work ethic and witt influenced me as I grew my own work style through the years.

Lawrence Larmer

March 16, 2016

Marshall was one of the best guys I have ever known! He was of course a great friend and colleague of my father through Rodale. I served on the Allentown Arts Commission with him and was deeply envious of his McKinley collection, the contrarian nature of which impressed me greatly. He was considerate enough to take me to lunch at the Rodale Fitness House in Emmaus on a regular basis except on those days when they served liver. He and Carol had a 30-year "last chapter" in their lives in California and remains one of the few people I have encountered who had a solid grasp on how to live a truly virtuous life.

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