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| Ron Akin |
He was born and raised in Hortonville. Ron came to Oshkosh in 1955 to attend UW-Oshkosh where he excelled as an athlete. Ron would later become a full professor at UW-Oshkosh while also coaching several sports.
His interest in breweriana was instigated by his sons Dan and David after they began collecting beer cans in the early 1970s.
"So, I became a collector too, collecting anything related to any of the closed Oshkosh breweries," Ron once explained to me. "Back then, there was so little information available on those breweries. I wanted to know more. Collecting breweriana became part of that and as I learned more, I discovered how important the breweries were to the history of Oshkosh.”
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| Ron with his sons, David (in the middle) and Dan. |
The collection Ron built was unrivaled. His fellow collectors came to know him for his tenacity. But Ron was equally generous in sharing his discoveries. He often invited inquisitive strangers into his home to acquaint them with the incredible pieces he was dedicated to preserving.
As his knowledge and collection grew, Ron began publishing articles in breweriana journals. People started asking him to give talks about Oshkosh brewing history. He was always happy to oblige.
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| Ron and Kenlynn Akin. |
I met Ron for the first time in December of 2010. We were at the Oshkosh Public Library to hear a lecture about Frank J. Hess & Sons, a Madison cooperage that made wooden beer barrels in the early 1900s. After the talk, Ron's wife, Kenlynn, introduced us. She had somehow diagnosed that I shared her husband's affliction: a consuming interest in anything related to old breweries.
They invited me to their home and Ron led me through his immense collection. I was stunned. I didn't realize it then, but our destination was already being set. Not long after that visit, Ron suggested that we collaborate on a book about the history of Oshkosh’s breweries. We went straight to work. The Breweries of Oshkosh was published in September of 2012.
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| Ron with a proof of the Breweries of Oshkosh cover. To his left is his brother George and son David. |
I wasn't the only person to be swept into Ron's orbit. As breweriana collector Dale Applebee recently told me, "Ron definitely inspired a lot of people into collecting Oshkosh memorabilia." He seemed to have a knack for spotting those who shared his passion. He kept that fire burning even in his last years, becoming a mentor to younger collectors like Jared Sanchez.
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| Ron with Jared Sanchez and Jared’s daughter Emmalynn. |
"I had bought a Tonka Truck off of eBay and I had no idea that the seller was Ron Akin," Jared says. "When I arrived to pick up my purchase we talked for a few minutes and he asked if I collected anything else. I told him I collected Chief Oshkosh Beer items and his face lit up. He asked me if I wanted to see his collection. The moment I saw his basement, my life was never the same."
Jared has gone on to establish the B'Gosh It's Good Breweriana Show held bi-annually at Fifth Ward Brewing in Oshkosh. It’s a prime example of Ron's abiding influence.
Ron Akin will be sorely missed. But his presence will be felt for years to come. He will continue to inspire.
A few additional notes…
Ron had a remarkable career at UW-Oshkosh. Here are a few more notes about his athletic and coaching accomplishments there.
In 2003, Ron gave a talk about the Oshkosh Brewing Company at the Grand Opera House. His presentation was filmed by Oshkosh Community Access Television. The Oshkosh Public Library has a copy of it on DVD. You can check that out here.
There are numerous stories about Ron inviting folks into his home to see his collection of Oshkosh breweriana up-close. My friend Frankie wrote about her visit. You can see that here.
The next edition of Jared Sanchez’s B'Gosh It's Good Breweriana Show will take place on May 1, 2022. There’s more information on that here.
Very nice memorial to Ron.
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