- April 25, 2024
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When Bernard Yvon's son came to him and told him he wanted to be an actor, he gave him the following advice:
"Go to it."
Even though he knew many actors wait tables waiting on their big break, he also knew his son, Bernie Yvon, was talented and should spend his life chasing his dreams. Which he did, until he died at 50-years-old in a tragic car accident in 2014.
His parents, who are Ormond Beach residents, recently created a scholarship for performing arts students in his honor through the Bernie G. Yvon Memorial Fund, which was established at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida by his parents and supported by contributions of hundreds of friends and colleagues.
Two promising students recently recieved the first awards of $1,000.
"We didn't want to give it to students just because they were big shot, but because they had the feeling of who he was," his mother, Gail Yvon said. "Bernie was kind of an overt, agressive young band, and he loved to perform. He made a lot of people happy. We continue to get notes about him from people we don't know. We wanted to perpetuate his legacy."
The Bernie G. Yvon Memorial Fund will make scholarships annually in his memory. Anyone interested in donating can visit jaxcf.org/give/memorials and type Yvon in the search box.
Bernie Yvon quickly became a fixture in Chicago-area live theater. For three decades, he was the consummate song-and- dance man, performing in such classics as "Cabaret," "Mary Poppins," "The Music Man," and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
