Spotlight on an Abilene Resident: Deane E. Ackers

Views of the Past is currently featuring brief biographies of former Abilene residents. These photographs and biographies were recently featured in an exhibit at the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum. Even if you are not from Abilene or do not know these people, these stories are invaluable since they paint a portrait of small town life. Both the photograph and text of this post are courtesy of the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum. The following was written by Bill Jeffcoat about Deane E. Ackers (1893-1966):

Hiram Ackers lived on Buckeye and 10th Street and was a very successful real estate broker. He and his wife raised two sons (one of them, Deane). Deane started in with C.L. Brown as an engineer with the United Power and Light Co. With its demise, he was instrumental in putting together a collection of power companies, forming the Kansas Power and Light Co. He was President and C.E.O. of that firm. Deane and his wife had no children and are buried in Topeka, Kansas. In high school, he was on the football team with Dwight D. Eisenhower.