Akin is the son of Nancy Perry (née Bigelow) and Paul B. Akin. Both Akin's father and grandfather served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Laclede Steel Company. He graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute]] in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a B.S. degree in engineering in 1971.<ref name=bluebook/> | Akin is the son of Nancy Perry (née Bigelow) and Paul B. Akin. Both Akin's father and grandfather served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Laclede Steel Company. He graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute]] in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a B.S. degree in engineering in 1971.<ref name=bluebook/> |