Frederick J. Ackman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1915, the eldest child of Rev. John B. and Emma Ackman. He attended Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa (A.B., 1936), Boston University graduate school (A. M., 1938), and Boston University School of Theology (S.T.M., 1939). He became a member on trial in the South Iowa conference in 1938 and served as pastor in Redfield, Iowa, in 1939. He was ordained deacon in 1938 and elder in 1940. After serving as a Chaplain in the Army Air Corps in 1942, Rev. Ackman was appointed to churches in Des Moines, Centerville, and Davenport, Iowa, returning to Cornell College for further studies and receiving his D.D. in 1953. After additional appointments in Mason City and Cedar Rapids, Rev. Ackman moved to Kansas City and served at the Old Mission church there. He was appointed to Emporia (Manhattan District), where he served from 1972-1977, and then to First UMC in Ottawa (1978-1979). Rev. Ackman was married to Marjorie L. Mitchell on January 31, 1939. Their children are Eleanor Louise (Mrs. James Parker), born September 7, 1941, and Deborah Kay, born March 31, 1948. Rev. Ackman retired in June, 1980, and later relocated to Lee's Summit, where he died in 2008 at the age of 93.

Note written by Sarah St. John