June 2010

Greetings, Fellow Magicians:

When TAOM President Hull Youngblood asked me to take on the job of Club Coordinator and editor of the newsletter, I was flattered and slightly apprehensive  Putting together a monthly newsletter is a BIG job and I cannot do it alone. I need the help of magicians everywhere — to let me know what is going to happen and to report on what has already happened.

The fellowship of magicians is unique in the allied arts.  We share our secrets with each other and applaud the accomplishments of our rivals. This sense of “family” can be enhanced by communication… and that’s where my new job comes into play.  I will expand the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of news reporting to include all TAOM magic clubs and members, other magic clubs, and (especially) magicians who do not have the opportunity to participate in an organized magic group.

Before I start asking for your help, let me take a moment to introduce myself to those of you who may be new to the Texas magic scene. I have been a member of TAOM and the International Brotherhood of Magicians since 1970 and the Society of American Magicians since 1984. I belong to IBM Ring 39 and SAM 19 in Houston and IBM Ring 60 and SAM 206 in Austin. I held several offices in the Austin clubs over the years and was secretary/treasurer of TAOM in the 90’s.  I worked as a professional magician and owned a magic shop in Austin with my late husband Fred Donaldson from 1970 until his death in 2004. More recently, I was registrar for the 2009 TAOM convention in Houston. So…..you can see that magic is my life.  But enough about me; future issues of this newsletter will be about YOU and about MAGIC.  Watch for the July issue.

Here’s my first request to each of you: send me contact information for any magician you know who may not belong to TAOM but would enjoy the benefits of the brotherhood we share.

I’ve set up a special email account to handle the business of this new venture: taomnews@yahoo.com Please communicate with me through that email or call me at 361-972-3430.

My second request is that you add my name and that email to any mailing list for magic club news and activities.  If you don’t have a club, send me information anyway — information for and about magicians throughout the State…and beyond.

I am looking forward to learning more about you and the magical happenings in your neck of the woods. From Texarkana to the Valley, El Paso to Orange, and everywhere in between — I want to know it all!

If I do not see you before then, please say “Hello” at the Austin 2010 convention in September.

Judy Donaldson