Royals Hall of Fame
Patricia “Patsy” Acheson is the fourth Queens Athletics Hall of Fame member being honored under the Royals Lifetime Achievement Award category. In order to be recognized for this award the nominee must have attended Queens for at least two years and have made significant contributions during that time and beyond. Acheson is a 1972 graduate of Queens who majored in art. During her time at Queens, she served as captain of the tennis team and senior class vice president.
Following graduation, Acheson became the eighth female agent to join the U.S. Secret Services in 1974. During her career with the Secret Service, Acheson worked criminal investigations as well as protection. As one of the few females in the Secret Service she was frequently called upon to work in an undercover capacity involving counterfeit cases. Additional duties included intelligence work investigating threats against the President of the United States and other protectees of the Secret Service. The Secret Service is tasked with protecting visiting foreign heads of state while they are in the United States. Over the years Acheson was assigned to protect numerous dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth, Anwar Sadat, and Pope John Paul II. In 1979 she was the first female agent to be permanently assigned to the Vice Presidential Protective Division. When George H. W. Bush became Vice President in 1980, she continued on his detail and spent the next 3 years traveling the world on Air Force II. After leaving the Vice President’s detail in 1983, she returned to the Washington Field Office and retired in 1994 after a 20 year career.
In 2001, she was honored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc., as one of two recipients of their Rolex Achievement Award, given for outstanding contributions to tennis. Former Queens tennis coach and 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Phyllis Pharr nominated Acheson for the award.
“Patsy has always been one of Queens most loyal graduates,” Adelaide Davis commented. “She has not only supported our alma mater very generously financially, but in so many other ways too. I remember when I first became the alumni director in the early 80’s we took a Queens alumni group to Washington for a tour, and Patsy led all of us on a personal visit to the White House. It was such a special experience for everyone. Later, she and her husband hosted a Queens alumni party at their home in Arlington. I don’t think I have ever asked Patsy to do something for Queens when she did not say “Yes”. I am so proud of her induction into the Royals Hall of Fame.”
Acheson and her husband, Nicholas, have two children, Kelly and Eric.
