September 2010

     Greetings from San Antonio!  My name is Justin Botter and I am extremely honored to serve as your TAOM President this year.  For those of you who were able to make it to Austin, I trust you had a great time, witnessed some spectacular magic, made some new friends, and were able to attend the outstanding lectures.  Hull and everyone in Austin did an awesome job of organizing a superb convention and deserve to be commended.  I look forward to seeing all of you again next year in San Antonio.
For those who could not attend in Austin, I hope that you are able to block off September 2-5th in your 2011 calendar, as we have another magnificent convention planned for you.  In addition to $100 room rates in downtown San Antonio on the famous Riverwalk, we are also offering extremely reasonable registration rates, world-class lectures, 3 nights of stage shows in the gorgeous Lila Cockrell Theater, and a vast array of world class talent.
Our talent chairman, Alex Gutierrez, has already booked John Archer, Tom Stone, Quentin Reynolds, David Kaplan, Curt Miller, Wayne Houchin, Mark Worgan, Nick Lewin, Amos Levkovitch, Oscar Munoz, and Wayne Dobson.  Our special honored guest for the 2011 TAOM will be San Antonio native and all-star magician John Cornelius.
The 2011 TAOM Convention website is up and running.  Check it out at

www.taom2011.com  Also, go to
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/SATPDHF-TAOM-20110831/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG to make your hotel reservations at the beautiful Hilton Palacio Del Rio.
In the upcoming months I will tell you a little more about myself, the TAOM board, and the people who are helping to make 2011 an awe-inspiring convention.  Until then, have a magical year.
Sincerely,
Justin Botter    

     They said it couldn’t be done, but Hull and Austin magic guys and gals pulled it off!  The culmination of 2 years’ planning brought together dozens of volunteers, more than 20 performers, 12 dealers, 11 lecturers, 10 shows, 2 contests, and 2 parties into 4 day of magic for the 2010 TAOM Convention.  What a coup!
For an even-by-event description of the convention, go to

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=380077&forum=170&0 to read Scott Wells’ complete review.
Everyone who had the good fortune to attend this great convention was a winner.  Above that, the contests produced outstanding competitions with trophies being awarded to (from left o right) Sam Sawyers, Senior Close-Up; Hiroshi Yamamoto, Stage; Eric “Fumio” Inagaki, Comedy; and Marcus Eddie, Club.      

Done!
Used in this way, that single word is both an exclamation and a declaration.  I guess that sums up my feelings now that TAOM 2010 is completed.  We got it done.  The magicians of Austin (SAM Assembly 206 and IBM Ring 60), along with help from Ring 18 in San Antonio and friends in Fort Worth, Houston and elsewhere, got it done.
That same word also applies to my term as President of TAOM.  My year is “done”.  The Association is strong, the membership is more connected than before, and a series of superb conventions is now planned for the next 4 years.  As a group, with a common interest in magic, we are in good shape.  But we have issues to discuss and resolve.
What do we want this association to be in ten years?  Huge? Local? Focused? General Interest?  It can be anything we want it to be, but we, as a group, need to decide what direction we want our association to pursue.
What do we want the annual convention to be? A structured Picnic / Family event? Or a professional magic convention?  It is very difficult and very expensive to do both.   Either will work, but as an association we need to decide what we want our convention to be.
I hope that the board of directors will take up these questions, decide them, and keep the TAOM on the same energized plan of growth that we have seen in the last two years.  I know that they will.
And now, my messages to you are also done.  New TAOM President Justin Botter will take over the task of reporting to you regularly.  Vice President Danny Garcia will be part of that effort as well.   Mary Cay Gold will continue once again to serve us all as the Secretary and Treasurer.   Judy Donaldson will remain as Club Coordinator. With those gifted people in place, I know that TAOM is in good hands.
I thank you for your support of TAOM, the 2010 convention, and me.
My best to you all.
Hull Youngblood
2010 TAOM President

    Royal Brin was honored at the TAOM Board of Directors Meeting in Austin this past Labor Day weekend by being named Legal Advisor Emeritus and was inducted as one of six Life Members of the Association.  Having celebrated his 90th birthday last fall, Royal decided that it was time to pass the torch.  He retired as TAOM’s first and only Legal Advisor after more than 50 years in that position.
A native of Dallas, Royal graduated from the University of Texas Law School with the highest ever average (94.4). His list of accomplishments during his 60-year law career landed him in Who’s Who in the Southwest. Although no longer a practicing attorney, Royal drives himself to his downtown office every day, works out in a health club near his office, and visits to the Dallas Public Library once a week.
Magic runs in the family. Royal is a cousin of the late Nate Leipzig and embarked on his own magical career during his grammar school days with the help of his great-uncle, George Edloff.  (Edloff, by the way, was Thomas Edison’s office boy while Edison officed in Detroit.)  In his first public performance, Royal (as winner of a young magicians contest) shared the stage with Howard Thurston.   Royal’s stage performances included the New Orleans IBM 1948 convention, Mid-South Magic, PCAM, Southeastern Conventions in Birmingham and Atlanta, IBM conventions at Knoxville, Indianapolis, and Chattanooga, Cavalcades of Magic in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and many, many TAOM conventions.
Some of his original effects  have been published in Rufus Steele’s card books, Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic, The Linking Ring, The Bat, M-U-M., Genii, Conjuror’s and Hugard’s.  Magic trophies grace his mantel for Best Coin Magic at the 1951 Combined IBM-SAM Convention, thimble magic at the 1954 Louisville IBM convention, and first prize for sleight-of-hand at the 1960 TAOM convention.
Royal is a Past President of the Dallas Magic Circle, the Texas Association of Magicians, and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.  He continues to attend at least four magic conventions each year and enjoys seeing old friends, making new ones, and the general camaraderie that always exists when magicians get together.
Royal was awarded the Order of Merlin Excelsior for sixty years of continuous membership at the 2010 convention of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in San Diego.  Also at that convention, his wife Carol honored him by presenting a grant to IBM that will award prizes to two young IBM competition winners for the next 20 years.
Throughout his life, Royal managed successfully to combine an illustrious career in law with his love for magic.  His devoted wife shared an anecdote that illustrates his passion for magic: On their honeymoon he left her sitting with relatives while he went to a local magic club meeting.  Royal has given of his time and talent in many capacities to all magicians and we treasure his many years of service as TAOM Legal Advisor.
     Written and edited with the help of Carol Brin, Chuck Lehr and David Hira

     The Order of Aggie Illusionists is the only teaching magic student organization in the country.  As an official student organization of Texas A & M University, the OAI’s membership of 25+ is made up of students, faculty, and Bryan-College Station residents. 
The organization is dedicated to teaching magic and performance.  The club offers a place to learn basic-to-advanced sleight-of-hand, illusion, mentalism, and theory.  Teaching emphasizes magic, not only as a hobby, but as a performance art, focusing on how to develop the performance skills necessary to progress from “doing a trick” to “doing magic” as well as the technical aspects.
Officers are President Clay Dippel

clay@oai.tamu.edu; Vice President Brian Stucky; Secretary Li Fang; Treasurer Colin Canahai; founder, life member, and consultant Cameron Rivers; and consultant Jacob “Suitcase” Perez. Meetings change each semester, but now, the group meets every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Room 150 in the Blocker Building.  Visiting magicians are always welcome.  Members perform at a street festival in Bryan on the first Friday of every month as well as at many university functions.    

  Stan “Doc” Seaton wanted an exciting event to encourage more magicians to come early for the TAOM Convention in Austin, and by any measure, the Inaugural Austin Street Magic Festival was a huge success. There were more than fifty additional rooms at the Sheraton on Thursday night before the 2010 TAOM Convention; over 100 magicians performed in Austin’s 6th Street Entertainment District; thousands of Austin’s non-magicians came early and stayed until the rainstorm drove them away.
The professional street performers brought in by Arsene Dupin drew the biggest crowds, but some of the walk-in performers were seen with good crowds, too. Peter the Adequate came from Branson to do his famous underwater strait jacket escape from the Three Ring Service dunk tank, temporarily moving the bikini-clad lasses to watch instead of being dunked themselves. There were magicians and other variety entertainers from Esther’s Follies to the Driskill Hotel, in more than a dozen different venues. The Kent Cummins Magic Camp provided lots of young performers showing off their skills, and the Mariachis strolled throughout the grounds.
Ray Anderson hosted a first ever “Magicians’ Open Mic Nite” immediately following his show at Esther’s Follies, and the hour-long show was enthusiastically received by a virtually sell-out crowd.
There were lines of people getting freshly-baked pizza from the GattiTown “Craving Response Unit” wagon on the festival grounds, and more than a dozen booths featuring everything from fortune telling to enthusiastic hula hooping.
Even with the rain, the festival was FUN!       

IBM Honorees
 Royal Brin, Louis Daniel, and Larry Heil completed sixty-years of continuous membership in the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 2010 and received Order of Merlin Excelsior honors.
 TAOM Past President Ramon Galindo was awarded the Order of Merlin Excalibur for 50 years of continuous membership in the International Brotherhood of Magicians at the recent IBM convention in San Diego.
*****
Final Curtain
 Lance Burton has called it quits after an unprecedented 15-year run at Monte Carlo in Las Vegas.  He is retiring after performing to more than 5 million people and inspiring a generation of magicians.
 Even Scott Hollingsworth admits the rumors may be true that Houston’s Magic Island will not open again after a real estate ad offered the building for lease at $400,000 a year.
 The Science of Wonder exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science has closed after a successful run that showcased magic and magicians from around the country.
*****
Joanie Update
BELIEVE ME — our hearts and minds were NOT at home over Labor Day weekend. We really missed not being at the TAOM convention in Austin.  Although Joannie is still wheelchair-bound, we are beginning to make inroads getting out of the house.  In fact, we are practicing the three W’s –Walmart, Winstar, and Walmart again..
She still has many problems to overcome associated with such a long hospital stay and damage from the masses of cancer that snuck up on her.  Each day, she seems to get a bit more use out of her damaged leg – she has some feeling and some movement.   She has regularly scheduled PT classes and has even managed a few “assisted” steps while supported on the parallel bars.
Big day September 17  — we visited her cancer doctor, and the big news was that he cut a twice-daily belly shots to once a day.  As the official “shot giver”, that really put smiles on both our faces!!
Yours, in Magic, Chuck Lehr
*****
Special Events
Grandparents, parents, and grandchildren alike enjoyed a magic show by IBM Ring 39 members at Bayou Manor during the “Grandparents’ Day” celebration on September 12, 2010, in Houston.  Master of Ceremonies Gene Protas organized a talented group of volunteers that included Michael “Cobra” Thomas, James Kent, Rick Hebert, and John Star for this annual event.  The staff and residents of Bayou Manor were appropriately appreciative for the entertainment, vocally proclaiming their anticipation for next year’s show.
*****

Broken Wand
Sad news.  Atlanta magician and long-time TAOM member, Frank Furkey passed away on August 30, 2010.
***** 

DOWN THE ROAD
Weekly Meetings:
• Fort Worth Magicians Club members get together every Monday evening at Humperdink’s Restaurant at Six Flags Drive in Arlington.
• Order of Aggie Illusionists meets every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Room 150 of Blocker Hall clay@oai.tamu.edu

Sept. 20 –  Austin SAM 201 & IBM Ring 60 Combined Apri-Convention Meeting at the Austin City Limits studio
Sept. 20 –  Ring 269, Rio Grande Valley Magic Club Meeting – 7:00 p.m. at the Pharr Chamber of Commerce on Park Street ibmring269@gmail.com
Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, 10, & 24 – Houston’s annual séance magic shows at La Carafe, featuring Jamie Salinas and Scott Wells.  www.houstonseance.com or 832-724-3045 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 832-724-3045 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting Sept. 27 – Houston IBM Ring 39 Meeting – “Convention-al” Magic; 6:30 p.m. Teach-in; 7:00 General Meeting; 7:30 Show followed by Open Mike.  Bayou Manor, 4141 South Braeswood.  www.ibmring39.com
Sept. 28 –  San Antonio IBM Ring 18 Past President’s Dinner and Show at Las Carretas, 3974 Perrin Central Blvd.  Contact magikingtx@aol.com or 210-670-9567 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 210-670-9567 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Oct. 4 – Houston SAM 19 Meeting – Mini-lecture at 7:30 and meeting at 8:00 followed by Open Mike.  IATSE Union Hall, 3030 North Freeway (I-45) www.houstonmagic.com
Oct. 4 – Austin Ring 60 – National Lecture Night of Texas at 7:00 p.m. at IHOP, 11654 Research Blvd., http://ibmring60.orgOct. 7 – Fort Worth Magicians Club (IBM 15 & SAM 138) Annual Installation Banquet and Show.  7:00 at The River Ranch in the Stock Yards, 500 Northeast 23rd Street.  http://fortworthmagiciansclub.org/
Oct. 7 – San Antonio SAM Assembly 52 – “Halloween and Spooky Magic” at 7:30 p.m. at LaMadeleine at 722 NW Loop 410
October 9 – Top Talent Productions will present Jay Schwausch at the Hilton Americas Hotel at 7:00 p.m.  Jay will create an enchanting atmosphere with his Mind-boggling, Brain-hacking Mystical Mysteries and Intriguing Entertainment show.  For info, go to http://toptalentproductions.com/
Oct. 10 – Corpus Christi IBM 157 Meeting – Ronald McDonald House, 3402 Fort Worth Street at 3:00 p.m.
Oct. 18 – Austin SAM 206 Meeting – Omni Southpark, I-35 and Ben White. 7:00 – theme TBA.   http://sam206.com/
Oct. 18 –  Ring 269, Rio Grande Valley Magic Club Meeting – 7:00 p.m. at the Pharr Chamber of Commerce on Park Street ibmring269@gmail.com
Oct. 19 – Dallas SAM 13 and IBM 174 – 7:00 p.m. at Crosspointe Church & Community Center in Carrollton www.dallasmagic.org
Oct. 28 – San Antonio IBM Ring 18 – 7:00 p.m. at Alzafar Shrine Temple, 901 North Loop 1604 West

(Please notify the editor of additions and corrections)

     What a convention!  I hope you were one of the 540 fortunate people who enjoyed one of the best conventions I can remember.  I’ve attended 36 conventions in the past 39 years and this one will stand out as a “keeper”.
Despite the time-honored tradition of each convention being a “local” club endeavor, Austin this year and Houston last proved the efficacy of involving numerous members from other clubs in the planning and execution of a successful convention.  Our reputation for efficiently bringing top talent and friendly people together for a world-class conclave is growing.  Innovations and traditions blend well for our long-time members and new generations who will carry on our legacy.

     Judy Donaldson
TAOM Club Coordinator