-MEET A MEMBER-

Magic first enchanted me at 6, when the Mark Wilson’s "Magic Land of Alakazam” TV show appeared. Mark encouraged viewers to go to the library and learn magic from books. I was already reading anything I could; convincing Mom to take
me to the library was easy. Alas, I was
devastated to find our library had no magic
books in the “Children” section, and I was
too young to check out the few magic
books in the Adult section. As always,
Mom came to the rescue. Together we
began learning magic at the kitchen table –
a very precious memory.

When I was 11, my sister and I got to visit
Disneyland...and more importantly, The
Disneyland Magic Shop! Each of us was
given $20.00 to cover food and incidentals.
I immediately spent nearly all my money at
the Magic Shop. I didn’t eat much that day,
and my sister laughed at my folly, but I was
very happy with a set of cups and balls
(red, yellow, and blue) and a paddle trick.

Growing up in Fresno, California, I passed
a Costume / Magic shop on the way to
school each day. I met a very young Paul
Gross inside. Sadly, he had little time to
instruct a boy who wanted to be a
magician. It was a case of “Go away kid,
you bother me.” (I must say Mr. Gross is
still running Hocus Pocus Magic, and at
some point became a very nice man. I
don’t know what changed him, but I visited
him a few years ago. He didn’t remember
me, but he was very kind.) I continued
learning magic from library books.

I joined the US Air Force at 18, ending up
in Denver where I met “Zezzo the Clown.”
Zezzo was a retired Air Force Officer who
supplemented his income with birthday
party shows. He taught me balloon
twisting. l still preferred dress clothes to
clown suits. Then, real magic happened -
Zezzo introduced me to the International
Brotherhood of Magicians and to Denver’s
Magic Club. There, I finally felt at home,
surrounded by my kind of people.

In 1978, the military sent me to Austin,
Texas. I found IBM Ring 60 and Fred and
Judy Donaldson. Fred became my first
real magic mentor. I was supporting a
family, so Fred strongly advised me not to
pursue magic full time, but rather build a
solid paying career foundation while
developing myself into a “Part-time
Professional.” Between the Donaldsons
and Ring 60, my personal interactions
with magicians expanded dramatically. I
met Kent Cummins, Bobby Cordell, Turk
Pipkin, and many other wonderful people.
By then I’d been performing for many
years, but now I found every magician
had something to teach me. Many of you
have taught me in ways you may not have
realized. There isn’t room here to thank
everyone, but as examples Peter
Hienrichs and Brad Henderson taught me
the value of scripting any act, even a
single trick. Trixie Bond taught me the
large world of “Family Entertainment,” and
introduced me to a great group of folks at
Kidabra.

I left the Military while still living in Austin.
Heeding Fred’s advice, I became an
Austin Police Officer and a part-time
professional magician. In 2003, my
desire to fully pursue my magical career
got intense. After 24 years, I retired from
the Department with full honors. Jeff
McBride taught me I could make magic
the center of my life 24 / 7 without
financial devastation. My new mentor,
Kent Cummins, helped me put “business
polish” on my magic by letting me help
with his Magic Camp. I soon learned
there was a whole lot of business in show business! With their guidance and a little help from my friends,
my business, Blue Saint Productions,
became reality.

A couple years ago, the City of Austin
recruited me to work as a code
enforcement officer - straight day
schedule (no nights or weekends). Fred
and Kent’s words clanged in my head.
So, while I’m temporarily back to a “Day
Job” for the next couple years, I’m still
performing magic at parties, restaurants,
and occasional stage show.

At a seminar I attended, one of the topics
was success. “Success,” said the
speaker, “is a road we travel, not a
destination. If you’re heading the
direction you want, you’re already being
successful.” So here’s to all our
members’ success in magic! No matter
how “under construction” the road is,
we’re headed in the right direction. May
your journey always be a wonderful one!