Acker

The Essex Corp., a Columbia-based military contractor that has been hammered by defense cutbacks, announced yesterday it would sell up to $2.5 million worth of stock in an attempt to fund its move into civilian markets.The move was praised yesterday by one of the few stock analysts still paying attention to the company's shares: Brooklyn, N.Y.-based investor Bob Acker, author of The Acker Letter.Mr. Acker, who started recommending Essex stock several years ago when he noticed insiders were buying shares while the stock price was falling, conceded that Essex has been having financial difficulties.

Macrophytes. Typha latifola. Herbaceous. Turbidity.Big words, certain to produce sweaty palms for those who remember grappling with the finer points of biology and botany in school.Taylorsville resident Ellsworth Acker isn't one for sweaty palms. He throws back his head, chuckles and gives a visitor a kindly refresher course that is not the least bit patronizing."Macrophytes are large aquatic plants and Typha latifola is nothing more than cattails," he says. "Herbaceous plants have soft, green stems, while turbidity refers to the cloudiness of water."

In the basement of a New Windsor church this past weekend, Jessica Bowen and some of her friends got a taste of hunger they're likely to remember as the time when chewing gum never looked so appetizing."

The year was 1998. Johns Hopkins coach Nancy Funk was one of the hottest names in Division III women's basketball, having guided the Blue Jays to back-to-back NCAA final eight finishes and a combined 49-10 record. A Division I school in the South was interested in luring Funk away from Hopkins and wanted to schedule an interview. Funk said she was content at Hopkins and felt at home at the D-III level. However, she gave in to the urging of friends and associates who insisted she owed it to herself to talk to the school.

Clint Acker arrived at Western Maryland College early yesterday morning only to find out that the Ravens' practice didn't start for six more hours. So Acker broke out a blanket, a book and tanned on a hill until it was time for the next workout."

Ellsworth G. Acker, a retired chemist, died of cancer Sept. 13 at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster. The Taylorsville resident was 86. Born in Kokomo, Ind., and raised in Northeast Baltimore's Hamilton section, he was a 1938 graduate of City College. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical science at the University of Maryland. In 1943, Mr. Ellsworth joined the Navy and served as a captain aboard an amphibious craft in the Pacific. After the war, he earned a second bachelor's degree in chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University and became a chemist at W.R. Grace.

Herbert W. "Bill" Acker, a retired Price Waterhouse Coopers LLD regional managing partner, died Friday of kidney cancer at his Stone House Farm in Churchville. He was 70. Herbert William Acker — who was known as H. William "Bill" Acker — was the son of a Ford-New Holland worker and a postmistress. He was born and raised in Intercourse, Pa., where he graduated from Pequea High School. After earning a bachelor's degree in 1963 in accounting from Lebanon Valley College, he began his accounting career at Price Waterhouse in New York City.

"Pussy, King of the Pirates," by Kathy Acker. Illustrations. Grove Press. 288 pages. $21At the risk of sounding reactionary, maybe women just aren't cut out for piracy. The film "Cutthroat Island," which cast Geena Davis as the swashbuckling captain of its ship, went down almost upon embarking. Now a new novel by Kathy Acker recasts Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 classic, "Treasure Island," with girls. Alas, "Pussy, King of the Pirates" sinks like a stone under the weight of the radical politics - and avant-garde posing - that power it.Ms.

Brady Acker Atholton, junior, outfielder After batting .351 with 21 stolen bases last season, Acker earned a spot on this year's Maryland State Association of Baseball Coaches' preseason All-State team. UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Wilmington, George Mason and George Washington are among the schools recruiting the Raiders' leadoff hitter. Logan Dubbe Glenelg, senior, pitcher-outfielder An All-Howard County first-team selection, Dubbe was 6-2 with a 1.04 ERA and 56 strikeouts in a team-leading 52 innings pitched last season.

Recent filings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maryland, Baltimore City:September 30Marine Diesel Systems Inc., 803 Antietam Drive, Davidsonville, filed for Chapter 11 protection. Principal: Lowell E. Kirk, president. Assets: $227,584; Liabilities: $127,025.11Acker Plumbing Inc., 4205 Sam's Creek Road, New Windsor, filed for protection under Chapter 11. Principal: Bradley Acker, president. Assets and liabilities under $50,000 each.Abbreviationsa.k.a.: also known as; c/o: care of; d/b/a: doing business as; t/a: trading as; n/a: not available; LLC: Limited Liability Company; L/P: Limited Partnership; J/V: Joint Venture; P/A: Professional Association; P/C: Professional CorporationDefinitionsThe most common types of filings under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code:Chapter 7 -- Liquidation.