Background
Charles was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Ira and Mary Bird Akers.
Charles was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Ira and Mary Bird Akers.
He received his Master"s degree and Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University.
Akers received his Bachelor"s degree in History from the Eastern Nazarene College in 1947. Akers was a United States. Navy veteran and served from 1942 to 1946 in the Second World War. He began his career in education by teaching in the history department at his alma mater, the Eastern Nazarene College starting in 1948, took a leave of absence in 1957 to become the Director of Quincy Junior College, and left ENC in 1959.
His next teaching position was at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
He began teaching history at Oakland University in 1966 and was appointed as chair of the history department there in 1968. He retired from OU in 1995 and was named professor emeritus of history there.