Joseph H. Akerman, Jr.
April 7, 1940 – March 3, 2022

Born and brought up in Miami, Joe prepared for Yale at Coral Gables High, a classmate of Lew Spratlan, with whom he roomed first year in Vanderbilt. He majored in electrical engineering and was a member of Trumbull College. He was the president of the Freshman Chorus, and on the Freshman and Varsity lacrosse teams. After his MBA from Stanford he studied statistics at UCLA, and he reached the rank of Lt. Commander in the military. He was represented in the Finance and Industry section of Who’s Who. His career topped off as President of Delphi Securities.

Joe wrote movingly in both the 40th and 50th reunion classbooks. Here are some excerpts. “The most important thing I learned from my Yale experience was that the world is full of smart people and that I would have to work hard to get ahead in life. My concern was that I had no idea about specific career goals, and I wrestled with the questions ‘who am I’ and ‘what is the meaning of life’ to the point of obsession… it was time well spent, although painful at the time…. Yale was an unhappy but valuable growing experience for me. I have taken up piano and oil painting as hobbies for my golden years.” He also mentioned wind surfing and skiing.

He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Nicole.

— John Harger Stewart