Bernard (Bernie) Akers; Early Yo-Yo Enthusiast

Bernard (Bernie) Akers, 80, one of the nation’s original yo-yo enthusiasts. Akers’ uncle, Donald F. Duncan, popularized the toy in America during the Great Depression and set up an exhibition schedule with dozens of men traveling from town to town, telling stories and selling yo-yos. Akers became the best known of these men and used to give a history of the yo-yo, telling how ancient vases discovered in Greece show wooden knobs suspended on strings. Stuart Crump, editor of Yo-Yo Times, a magazine based in Washington, D.C., said that Akers “was probably the most important link with the great yo-yo years. He actually almost single-handedly created the yo-yo contest,” a competition designed to increase sales. Akers did not like calling the yo-yo a toy, saying it taught too many skills--such as eye-and-hand coordination and discipline. In Huntington, W. Va., on Nov. 10 heart problems.