November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Your TAOM 2011 planning committee has been extremely busy ensuring that TAOM 2011 in San Antonio continues to provide the caliber of conventions everyone has come to know and expect when they attend a TAOM.  We have already secured a great line-up, an outstanding hotel and a gorgeous theater for our evening shows.  Next month we will update the TAOM 2011 website with contest and dealer information.

If you haven’t already registered for TAOM 2011, make sure to add a registration to your Christmas list. You can register at http://www.taom2011.com/

As November comes to a close, count your blessings, embrace the season and take some time out to enjoy the company of your friends and family.

Justin Botter, TAOM President

Dallas Christmas Magic

Dallas magicians will celebrate Christmas on December 16 at Dal and Cinde Sanders’ home, 3316 Northaven in Dallas. Get in touch with Dal at 214-902-9200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 214-902-9200 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Joanie Update

Joan Lehr continues re-learning walking and manages several hundred feet on a walker (with supervision) and even tried out a cane for a few feet.  Lots of other complications continue to plague her, but she manages a lot of smiles and shopping trips.  Doctor Chuck says, “We are making progress!”

San Antonio SAM Assembly 52
Christmas Meeting

The December 2 meeting of SAM 52 will be held at LaMadeleine, 722 Northwest Loop 410 in San Antonio at 7:30.  The special seasonal theme is “Christmas Magic — Original Routines, Original Patter, or Homemade Effects”.

Holiday Magic in Houston

IBM Ring 39 will not have a December meeting.  The SAM Assembly 19 meeting on December 6 will feature the favorite Christmas routine by several top magicians.  The Teach-In starts at 7:00 p.m. at the IATSE Hall

Holiday Banquet and New Officers –
Austin SAM Assembly 206

Assembly 206 Officers elected by acclamation at the November meeting were President John Maverick, Tag-Team First Vice Presidents Stan “Doc” Seaton and Hull Youngblood, Second Vice President Ron Cartlidge, Treasurer Heather Poggi-Mannis, Secretary Carl Seagren, and Sergeant-at-Arms Will Mannis.  The Assembly’s annual Holiday Banquet and show will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14, at First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity, in Austin.  Contact Tammy Dietz at

cantutg@sbcglobal.net to make reservations and for information.

Christmas Party and New Officers
in Fort Worth

IBM Ring 15, SAM Assembly 138 and Fort Worth Magicians Club officers were installed at a gala banquet and show at River Ranch in the Fort Worth Stockyards last month.  They are President Bill Irwin, Vice President and Program Chairman Ash Adams, Vice President and Flashpaper Editor Geoff Grimes, Vice President and Webmaster Bruce Chadwick, Secretary Al Fox, Treasurer Larry Heil, Sergeant-at-Arms Logan Stadtman, Historian Melissa Himes.  Members-at-Large are Mica Calfee, Nathan Himes, and Michael Dimsdle; Trustees are Bruce Chadwick, Arthur Emerson, and Bill Irwin.

Larry Heil was honored at the Installation Banquet as Magician of the Year and Bruce Chadwick was named Lifetime Member.

The Fort Worth Magicians Club normally meets the first Thursday of each month; however, the next meeting will be the annual Christmas party and gift exchange. The party will be held on Thursday December 2 at the new meeting location: Tarrant County College – Trinity River Campus, 300 Trinity Campus Circle in Fort Worth in the Energy Auditorium on the main (second) floor, at 7:00 p.m.  Contact President Bill Irwin at magicfx@sbcglobal.net for more information.

New Officers for Austin Ring 60

Mark Wilson (the Austin resident, not the one from L.A.) was elected President of Austin IBM Ring 60 for 2011.  His officers include Vice President Carlos Santillan, Treasurer Larry Johnson, Secretary Jim Bauldoff, Sergeant-at-Arms Eddie Boswell, and Directors J. D. Stewart, Will Mannis, Arsene Dupin, and Richard Garriott.

http://www.ibmring60.org/ for details.

Ring 18 was born in November fifty-nine years ago.  Yes, that’s right – the club has been active since 1941.  We are extremely fortunate that the sole surviving Charter Member, Ray Santee, has shared his memories of the circumstances that led to this propitious event.

Despite the fact that he claims to have failed Typing 101, Ray sent a wonderful detailed story of the club’s formation.  A previous group called “The San Antonio Magicians” had disbanded due to poor leadership, but Doctor William Gill kept up with the magicians and held a Christmas party every year for them.  Ray and his wife attend the party in 1940.  Discussions led to Dr. Gill suggesting that they form a new magic club.  He and Paul Mayo both agreed that they would support the effort financially if someone else had the time to do the legwork gathering contact information for possible members.

Ray, who was a traveling salesman for a medical supply company at the time, agreed to take on the task.  On his next trip to Dallas, he ask Delbert Douglas (of Douglas Magic Land fame) to give him a list of customers from around the San Antonio area.  Douglas agreed and suggested that Ray should go to Ren Clark for advice about starting a club.  Ren was immediately agreeable and invited Ray to his office that day.

Ren explained the advantages of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and showed Ray a copy of Linking Ring Magazine.  He offered to visit San Antonio to help organize the group.

Back in San Antonio, Dr. Gill and Mr. Mayo welcomed the idea and forty invitations were sent invited interested magicians to Paul Mayo’s home on November 1.  Dr. Gill supplied the beer and soft drinks for the 20 guys who showed up.

After Ren Clark extolled the benefits of the IBM, fifteen of those present completed membership forms and paid dues, after which they were entertained by visiting magicians W. U. James and Ralph DeShong.

Membership in Ring 18 has waxed and waned over the years, but leadership and the love of magic has kept the brotherhood strong.

(Ray Santee is one of five Life Members of TOAM.  Many thanks to him for his delightful story of the club’s beginnings.)

Yes, San Antonio’s M. S. Mahendra IBM Ring 18 has withstood the test of time.  Today, the club has 40 active members whose major focus right now is preparing for the 2011 TAOM Convention sponsored by Ring 18.  Most members participate in several annual events: magic swap meet, picnic, past president’s dinner, trading shows with SAM 206 in Austin, and Christmas dinner in December.

A very fine monthly newsletter is written and distributed online by Geoffrey and Tabitha Sadowski.  Lots of photos and descriptions of magic performances make it a pleasure to read.  Doug Gorman performs regularly at Spaghetti Warehouse; get specifics from Doug at

douggorman@att.net Ring 18 Life Member Ed Solomon writes a monthly column, Storytelling Magic, in Linking Ring Magazine entitled “From the Chronicles of DeNomolos”.

Newly-elected officers pictured here from left to right are Sergeant-at-Arms Dwayne Stanton, Secretary Treasurer Geoffrey Sadowski, Vice President  Ray Adams, and President Dave King.  They accept legacy and will continue the tradition of promoting magic and magicians.   Visiting magicians are invited to attend meetings on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 in the Clown Room of Alzafar Shrine Temple, 900 North Loop 1604 West in San Antonio.  For more information, contact Ring 18 President Dave King at magikingtx@aol.com or call him at 210-670-9567 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 210-670-9567 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

By David Hira

Magic is not an evangelical art. There are those who truly want to pursue the art of magic and there are those who are simply interested in knowing “how it’s done”. We have taken an oath to keep the secrets. Our magic clubs are not to accept any members who have not demonstrated a serious interest in the art of magic for less than two years. None of this can be argued. It is written in our IBM, SAM and local club rules.

The Fort Worth Magicians club used to, and will again, be very purposeful in keeping our oath to keep the secrets of magic a secret. In the old days visitors were welcome to attend our meetings. In the first half of our meetings we had our “Collector’s Corner” (antique magic), “Book Review” (with a trick from the book performed), “Showmanship/Tech Theater Lesson” and always a performance from a seasoned pro in our “Star Case” segment. (Etc.) NO SECRETS were ever revealed in the first half of the meeting.

For more information on this, see Wilbur Kattner’s “Spells and Potions” & “Magic Club Meeting Ideas” by Tom Smith at

http://www.fortworthmagiciansclub.org/Documents/documents.html

At the end of the first half of the meeting, we went to a 15 minute break where people could mix and mingle (very important to every meeting). We thanked the visitors for attending and told them that the second half was for members and bona-fide visiting magicians. Our Sgt. at Arms was tasked with quizzing visitors who said they were magicians before allowing them into the second half of the meeting.

Then in the second half of the meeting secrets could be shared, taught and revealed.  This did many things:

1.It told our members that we are to be serious about our oath to keep the secrets of magic.

2.It kept our art mysterious to the “tire-kickers” who visited.

3.It became a highly respected club among the “real magicians” who would not otherwise be caught dead at a magic club meeting and caused them to come.

4.It incentivized those who really wanted to pursue the art of magic to prove themselves worthy of coming to the second half.

5.It kept us from accidently stealing the wonder from those who just tagged along or came to see what magicians “do”.

I hope that all magic clubs, especially those in Texas, are purposeful and committed to keeping the secrets of magic from innocent visitors. We must “keep the wonder” and are charged in doing so.

So let it be written, so let it be done…

DID YOU KNOW…. each club is responsible for notifying TAOM webmaster J. D. Stewart of changes in officers and contact information.  Please go to

www.taom.org and click on the “Clubs” link to check your listing.  If it needs updating, just send an email with the information to jd@jd-stewart.com

Judy Donaldson
TAOM Club Coordinator