The I.B.M. office has just been notified that Jack H. Adams, Jr., 66, of South Charleston, West Virginia, died August 30, 2009. He held membership number 31919, and had been a member since 1977.  He was a member of Rings 229 and 241, and also was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). Mr. Adams worked for the city of Charleston in administration, and performed magic for civic clubs and other  groups. Survivors include his wife of twenty-two years, Eileen; and sons Jeff and Michael.

The I.B.M. office recently learned that Robert W. Alston, 72, of Laguna Niguel, California, died December 21, 2009. He held I.B.M. number 57153, and had been a member since 1997. He was a member of Ring 313 (John Fedko Ring). A graduate of Ohio State and the University of Ohio, he was a high school and junior college math teacher. Magic was his favorite hobby. Survivors include his wife of seventeen years, Gwen; daughter Vickie, son David, and two grandchildren.

Max Cramer, 76, of Geraldton, West Australia, died July 28, 2010 of non-smoker’s lung cancer. A life-long resident of Geraldton, at age sixteen he began an apprenticeship as a carpenter which led to a career as a builder. A deep interest in fishing and scuba diving led to a side career in commercial diving. He and his brother discovered several major shipwrecks, including that of the Dutch East India Merchantman Bativia, leading to the Geraldton area being redefined as the Batavia Coast. His magic shows and his parade floats and costumes for the Sunshine Festival added to his legend throughout the country. His colorful life is chronicled in his memoir, “Treasures, Tragedies, and Triumphs of the Batavia Coast.” Survivors include his wife of fifty-two years, Ines, sons Kim, Mark, and Paul; three grandchildren, and a sister. 

Erdinc Demiray, 49, of Istanbul, Turkey, died July 23, 2010. His membership number was 42453, and he had been an I.B.M. member since 1998. He was a member of Ring 368, the Bosphorus Ring, as well as Ring 379, both of which he helped start. He was one of the senior members of the I.B.M. in Turkey, and was well respected as a children’s performer and as an advocate of classical magic. His professional name was Mr. Magic. In addition to helping found two magic clubs, Mr. Demiray organized the Balkanian Magic Contest, and served on the board of the Balkanian Magic Society since it began. He was passionate about helping other magicians -- especially youngsters -- and about getting magicians to come together in clubs and at conventions. He is survived by his widow, Halide; two sons, Hamdi and Ertug; and a daughter, Miray. A Broken Wand Ceremony was held at the Guzelbahce open air theater, within the context of the Eleventh Izmir Get-together, with over eight hundred lay people in attendance.

Edward Howard, 95, of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, died June 26, 2010. His I.B.M. membership number was 5424, and he had been a member since 1934 -- over seventy-five years! He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior (over sixty years of continuous membership). (NOTE: We have been unable to find any further information about Mr. Howard, including survivors. If anyone has any more information on him, please send it to the Broken Wand editor, Dennis Schick, at: crylds@att.net.)

David Jensen, Sr., 76, of Lafayette, Indiana, died August 20, 2010. He held I.B.M. number 51215, and he had been a member since 1994. Born in New York City, he moved to New Jersey and lived there many years, honing his magic craft performing throughout those states, in many different venues. Disney World was new and when it beckoned, he moved, with his wife and children, to Orlando in 1973. It was tough trying to perform fulltime, and he took on other jobs, as a chef and maintenance man. He and his wife, Suzanne, created a comedy-magic act, including cigarettes, similar to the stage character of The Great Tomsoni. As David & Suzanne, they performed their own show, Le Magique, at the Caravan Hotel in Orlando. In later years, David came up with a magie-clown character, Squeeky, and he performed as that character at retirement homes and for children’s shows right up to about a year ago. Dave and Sue moved to Lafayette, Indiana in 2002 to be near their daughter. Also surviving are four sons, thirteen grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. A Broken Wand Ceremony was scheduled for September. Dan Stapleton

Delmar E. Kiefer, 83, of Moline, Illinois, died September 7, 2010. His I.B.M. number was 7606, and he had been a member since 1958. He was a member of the Quad Cities/Magrum-Kiefer Ring 11, and was a member of the Order of Merlin Excaliber (fifty years a continuous member). He also was a member of the  Riverbend Storytellers, the S.A.M., and the Magic Circle. Born in Iowa, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and worked for Sears, and for Signal Delivery for thirty-seven years, retiring in 1984. Known as Delmar the Magician, and Norman the Clown, he enjoyed entertaining people over the years. He was the second person hired to be Ronald McDonald, and continued in that role for twenty-seven years. His motto was, “Just for Fun.” An article about him appeared in the October 1997 issue of The Linking Ring. Mr. Kiefer is survived by three daughters: Karen (Frank) Pouder, Tyyne (Steve) McIntire, and Denise (Ralph) Conner; five grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; and a brother and a sister. He was preceded in death by his two wives. A Broken Wand Ceremony was performed at his funeral. Friends are invited to share a story or light a candle at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.

Gottlieb Kogel, 93, of New Orleans, Louisiana, died August 26, 2010. His I.B.M. number was 7465, and he had been a member since 1944. He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior (sixty years a continuous member). He also was a member of the S.A.M. Known as the “Professor,” he performed magic for over four decades as “Kogel the Magician.” He said he learned how to perform magic by watching magicians perform on Canal Street. Often he would perform with his wife, Dora, who was a ventriloquist. After years on the magic circuit, he opened a campground for nudists on the north shore. In 1971, Indian Hills Nudist Park was founded near Slidell, which he ran for thirty-nine years. For many years he continued to perform magic tricks for guests at the campground. A Broken Wand Ceremony was performed prior to his funeral. Survivors include a sister, Charlotte Freese, and his longtime companion, Keala Dourrieu. 

Yonezo Mikame, 72, of Kanagawa-Ken, Japan, died September 9, 2010. His membership number was 51255, and he had been a member since 1994. He was known throughout the world for the tremendous line of  quality magic tricks and apparatus marketed under his name, Mikame Magic.

Paul Roling, Jr., 68, of West Chester, Ohio, died August 14, 2010, of cancer. He was a former member of the I.B.M. 1968-84, and a member of Ring 71, of which he was a past president. Known as Roling the Magician, he got his start in magic at age seven with his first magic set. He was well-known throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, for his performances at various venues, including table-hopping at Max & Erma’s Restaurant. He taught Saturday magic classes for years at Haines House of Cards. For four decades he was a professional photographer, as well as worked from the 1960s through the 1980s as a disc jockey. He collected antique magic props and posters, as well as old radio broadcasts. He also was an avid amimal lover. Survivors include his wife of eighteen years, Peg; son, Michael; daughter, Jennifer; two stepchildren, two grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, and two step-great-grandchildren. A Broken Wand Ceremony was performed prior to his funeral.

     Henry P. Sherman, 92, of Santa Clara, California, died April 28, 2010. His I.B.M. number was 7364, and he had been a member since 1979.  He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). During his twenties he played the nightclubs in New York. He was a star of vaudeville and on the forefront of stand-up comedy. He was a friend of Lenny Bruce, Joe Carson, Michael Skinner, and many others. He focused on story-telling with playing cards. As an example of reaching out to help other magicians, he created a monthly showcase for local magicians at a local pizza parlor. Mr. Sherman -- who performed as Ting-a-Ling, and later as The Great Scambini -- served in the U.S. Navy, and afterwards became a registered nurse in New York. He was a Humanist, owning a huge collection of books on religion and spiritualism. He also was a frequent contributor to magic magazines, including Genii and MUM. 

Barry H. Young, 69, of Columbia, Maryland, died July 10, 2010 of respiratory failure. His I.B.M. number was 29662, and he had been a member since 1976.  He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). He also was a member of the S.A.M. When he was a youngster, Barry was introduced to magic by his cousin, Jack Taub, who wrote several books on magic for Tannen’s Magic Shop in New York. He spent his teen years as a demonstrator at Al’s Magic Shop in Washington, D.C., where he honed his skills as Sir Baffle. He founded Barry’s Restaurant as an original tenant in The Mall, in 1971, and his eatery was a popular gathering spot until it closed in 1980. A graduate of George Washington University and Michigan State University, he then pursued real estate and was an instant success, helping develop several major malls. In addition to magic -- and despite many health-related challenges -- his interests included his award-winning wood sculpting, white-shark fishing, racketball, fencing, skiing, and playing the saxophone. After retiring, and even while recovering from several strokes, he continued to perform magic at nursing homes and for returning Iraq war veterans at the VA hospital in Baltimore. Survivors include his wife of thirty-nine years, Gayle; sons Zak and Jeremy, and daughter, Missy Lieber; a brother and sister, and four grandchildren.

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