Philip John Akre died unexpectedly on the evening of Tuesday March 10, 2026, at his home in West Milford, N.J. He was 79 years old.
Born Dec. 29, 1946, in Arlington County, Va., Philip was the youngest of the four children born to Eugene C. Akre (1914-1995) and Rose Mangin Akre (1912 -1989). Named for his paternal uncle, Philip Sander Akre (1908-1974), Philip spent his early years in Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, before, in 1951 at age five, moving with his family to Erie, Pa., the hometown of his mother Rose. Philip attended Sacred Heart (Catholic) Elementary School in Erie, graduating from the eighth grade in 1960. While there, he sang in the eighth-grade choir and served as an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in the pre-Vatican II days when altar boys had to memorize responses in Latin. While still in his youth, Philip began his life-long love of baseball, playing outfield in Erie Little League baseball.
After completing ninth grade at Cathedral Preparatory School for Boys in Erie 1960-61, Philip transferred to and entered Divine Word Seminary in Girard, Pa., graduating in 1964. While at Divine Word, he played the role of Judas in a stage production of The Passion. He attended Gannon College (now Gannon University) in Erie, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in sociology in 1968.
Upon college graduation, Philip volunteered to serve with the Peace Corps, established three years earlier by President John F. Kennedy. After several months of intensive study, he became proficient in speaking Arabic.
Assigned by the Peace Corps to serve in the North African country of Libya, he taught English and social studies to Libyans from the primary to university levels. After a 1969 military coup in Libya led to the expulsion of all Americans from Libya, he was transferred by the Peace Corps and, at his own request and reassigned later the same year to neighboring Tunisia so that he could continue to both teach in Arabic and develop his understanding of the language. While in Tunisia, he lived within visual distance of the Kasserine Pass, the site of a famous 1943 battle in World War II. He traveled throughout North Africa and also studied in Egypt. He did research on Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, including a project at the United Nations on economic integration in the Maghreb, comprising western and central North Africa.
Philip returned to the United States in 1971. With the exception of a short period in the mid-1980s when he taught and did research at the University of Texas at El Paso, he lived for the remainder of his life in the New York City area, on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and later in New Jersey. He earned his master’s degree in international affairs from the School of International Affairs of Columbia University, and his M. Phil degree in Political Science. He taught at a number of academic institutions, including Fiorello H. LaGuardia Community College on Long Island and Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ. In 2003, he joined the staff of The New School in New York City, rising to become the Associate Director of Student Affairs and Academic Programs by his retirement in 2026.
In the summer of 1984, Philip accompanied his father on a trip to Spain, France, Switzerland and North Africa, visiting the parts of Tunisia that Philip had lived in during his time in the Peace Corps. Philip married in 1997 and became a first-time father in 1998 at age 51. He instilled his love of baseball, especially of the New York Yankees, with his son Philip, Jr. He also fostered and encouraged his son’s interest in reading, film, history and culture, and was a kind and doting uncle to his many nieces and nephews.
Just a week prior to his death, Philip had retired from his job at The New School after 23 years of service. Throughout his career, he influenced the lives and careers of thousands of students and was well respected by his colleagues, not only at The New School, but at the other institutions in which he served. His New School colleagues gave him a heart-felt congratulatory send-off shortly before he officially retired.
Philip was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Rosemary Akre Shewan (1938-2012); Brothers-in-law William T. Shewan (1933-1994) and Victor J. Krym, D.D.S. (1938-2022).
He is survived by his son, Philip Eugene Akre, Jr.; a sister, Jean Lucile Akre Krym of Pittsford, NY; a brother, James Eugene Akre and sister-in-law Pia Fischer Akre, both of Geneva, Switzerland. Many cousins, nieces and nephews, in the United States and in Europe, also survive.
Also surviving are his former wife, Marcia Crenshaw Akre; stepchildren Ryan Windess of Ringwood, N.J.; Frank Mitchell of Haskell, NJ; Gina Cerbasio of West Milford, N.J.
Information regarding funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.