Jack Russell, who would go on to start the Russell Promotions, started his yo-yo career in the 1940’s as a yo-yo demonstrator for Duncan Toys, after they noticed his talent. At one point, Russell became part of Duncan’s foreign promotion division known as D.R.I., headed by Donald F. Duncan Sr., Russell, and Ives, Duncan's brother-in-law. When Ives suddenly died, Duncan decided to stop their foreign promotions. Russell saw an opportunity and bought the division, forming The Jack Russell Company in 1947, which also lead him to develop his distinctive bulge-faced yo-yo design. For over fifty years, Russell's company produced yo-yos as promotional toys for various name brands, the most famous of which being Coca-Cola. He eventually died on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, 2004, at the age of 83, survived by his wife Kazuyo, who is a former yo-yo champion, along with his sons and daughters. At the 2005 Worlds, Dale Myrberg performed 46 hula's in honor of Russell, who had invented the trick back in the day. The Hong Kong-based yo-yo manufactuer, Whimsy, had produced a metal yo-yo named the Lessur in tribute to Russell's legendary yo-yo design.
Jack Russell was inducted into the National Yo-Yo Hall of Fame in 2004. [1] You can find his profile here.