IN APPRECIATION FOR THEIR LIFE IN MAGIC
by Dennis Schick • Editor, The I.B.M. Broken Wand

Broken Wand for August 08

DAVE J. ALTMAN

 Dave J. Altman, 66, of Covina, California, died January 12, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 57179 and had been a continuous member since 1997.
 Born in Columbus, Nebraska, he attended colleges in Kansas City and Omaha, then married and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he operated a toy and hobby store, before moving to Southern California in 1966.
 He was introduced to the world of recreational vehicles in 1968, and in 1971 he opened Dave Altman’s RV Center in Baldwin Park, now known as Altman’s Winnebago. He was a widely known promoter and supporter of the RV industry, and was one of its most ardent supporters and spokesmen over the years.
 Dave is survived by his wife, Marla, his daughter, Cheryl, and his father and mother, Gary and Lillian.

JOSEPH O. BERENDT

 Joseph O. Berendt, 70, of Toledo, Ohio, died June 7, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 25820, was a member of Ring 68, the Toledo Society of Magicians, and was a member of the Order of Merlin, having been an I.B.M. member since 1973.
 He worked for Libbey Glass in Toledo, its world headquarters, for forty-seven years. He performed as Joseph the Magician and J. B. the Clown, and worked at Tony Packo’s restaurant for twenty-two years, as well as at Red Robin and Max and Erma’s.
 He is survived by his wife of thirty-seven years, Gloria, and children Kenny, Roseann, Susan, Chris, and Casey.

ALFRED CAMILLERI

 Alfred Camilleri, 70, of Malta, died June 6, 2008. Performing as Vonfred, he was a veteran magician, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, when he appeared regularly in hotels and nightclubs. He started out as an actor in the 1950s, appearing with popular Maltese theater companies.
 He was the first magician to appear on Maltese television, was a frequent visitor to London, and developed many friendships with British magicians and magic dealers. Even after he became ill several years ago, he continued to perform for children in the seaside town where he lived. He is survived by his wife, Carmen, and his son, Mel and daughter-in-law, Angele.

DR. CHRISTOPHER S. FRINGS

    Dr. Christopher S. Frings, 67, of Birmingham, Alabama, died July 3, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 15111, was a member of Ring 35, the Judge Arnold Drennen Ring, was a member of the Order of Merlin (over twenty-five years of continuous membership), having been a continuous member since 1978.
 A life-long native of Birmingham, he was a graduate of the University of Alabama, and received a Ph.D. in Clinical Chemistry from Purdue University. He was Director of Clinical Chemistry ad Toxicology at local clinical laboratories for twenty years, before becoming a full-time consultant and speaker in 1987. He was the author of over one hundred fifty publications, and was a nationally recognized speaker, as a member of the National Speakers Association.
 He also was widely known as "Chris Frings the Master Magician," appearing in many venues, including hospitals. He was named the 2006 Volunteer of the Year at the local Children's Hospital.
 Frings is survived by his wife of forty-two years, Roberta; and children Michael Frings and Dr. Mary E. Stocken, as well as his mother, a sister, two brothers, and six grandchildren.


STANLEY C. GREER

 Stanley C. Greer, 91, of Portland, Oregon, died January 31, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 6234 and had been a member since 1949. He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excalibur (over fifty years of continuous membership).
 He was born and raised in San Francisco, California. At age nineteen he moved to Portland, where he worked for U.S. Steel, and later Pacific Metal Company as a salesman and later as president. He was a World War II veteran, serving as a B-24 bombardier. He flew twenty-three combat missions over Germany.
 Stan got his first magic job at age ten, when he performed three tricks for a church fundraiser. At age fourteen he got his first magic book, A Bag of Tricks, by Will Lindhorst, connected with other magicians in Oakland, and performed his first magic show as a high school senior.
 During the 1950s, sawdust was used as a fuel source in the Greer’s Store. When a big load of sawdust was delivered, Stan offered neighborhood kids a root beer and some magic tricks if they would shovel the sawdust into his basement. It worked, and the job was finished quickly.
 In 1947, when the Greer house burned, he wanted to move the house and renovate it farther down the block. He went door-to-door in the neighborhood to get the required permission from other homeowners. He captivated all of them with magic tricks and got an unheard-of one hundred percent approval.
 Performing as “Stan Stan the Magic Man,” “The Great Greerdini,” or primarily “Stan Greer, That Tricky Fellow,” he used magic in his sales calls, as well as performed magic wherever it was wanted, from birthday parties to company retirement parties. He performed in either a tuxedo or a business suit, believing in the importance of appearance. He always went over his props three times before loading them for a show.
 Stan is survived by his wife, Betty; their children Kathy, Sally, Jim, and Scott; six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.


ROLAND C. LA CROIX

 Roland C. La Croix, 75, of Lake Worth, Florida, died March 7, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 47542, was a member of Ring 117, the Mike Ellis Ring, and had been a continuous I.B.M. member since 1991.
 Born in Connecticut, he served in the U.S. Marines during the Korean Conflict, and moved to Florida in 1956. There he was one of the first employees at Pratt-Whitey Aircraft, engineering the construction of rocket test stands. In 1971 he began La Croix Enterprises and La Croix Construction Company, and later was a founding director of Suburban Bank. Upon retirement he worked a consultant and as an inspector for the building department of Greenacres. His favorite hobby was magic, and he served two terms as president of Ring 117.
    He is survived by his wife of thirty-two years, Kathleen, five sons, one daughter, twelve grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

WILLIAM TADLOCK

William “Bill” Tadlock, 79, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, died July 8, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 14957, and was a member of the Order of Merlin Excalibur (over fifty years of continuous membership). He was a past International Treasurer of the I.B.M. and member of the Executive Committee. He was a founding member of the Wallace Lee and Dick Snavely Ring 199 of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a member and past president of the Psychic Entertainers Association.

He was born January 1, 1929 to Lewis Bond Tadlock and Louise Repass Tadlock. In Washington, North Carolina. He graduated from Washington High School, attended the University of North Carolina for a year and a half, left to serve in the military as did so many of the "Greatest Generation," matriculated from East Carolina University with a B.S. degree in business, and managed a six-week graduate course at Columbia University in finance.

He married Sally Harrell in 1951, and that union produced two children, Mary Tadlock and Bill Tadlock, Jr. Bill went to work for a financial institution after college and stayed at the same firm his entire working career, although the company kept changing names as financial institutions are wont to do. He retired as the Chairman and CEO for NationsCredit, the financial services subsidiary of NationsBank (formerly Bank of America Credit Corporation). He was adjunct professor at the College of the Albemaiie, past president of the North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland Financial Services Trade Associations, was a certified AVA Analyst, and prepared and taught an eight-week course on memory and memory training at the local college. Bill was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, attended the Elizabeth City Rotary, served in the volunteer fire squad, National Guard, and was a U.S. Army Lieutenant during the Korean Conflict.

Interested in magic as a child, Bill performed through college, the army, and afterwards, performing both with Sally as a team and later as a single, at one time performing up to thirty shows a year until the pressures of his job became too much. However, he attended many conventions and his magician and mentalist friends number in the hundreds.

He is survived by his wife, Sally; a daughter Mary Mielke of Folsom, California and husband Jeff; a son, Bill Tadlock, Jr., of Valdosta, Georgia and wife Angela Davis Tadlock; a sister, Carolyn Thompson of Windsor, North Carolina; a brother, Milton Tadlock of Windsor, North Carolina, a granddaughter, Victoria Fawn Tadlock; and two step-grandsons, Luke Santos-Mielke and Christopher Burger. He was predeceased by a grandson, William Louis Tadlock. Phil Willmarth

MORRIS WEISSBROD

 Morris Weissbrod, 93, of New York, New York, died May 25, 2008. He held I.B.M. number 19563, was a member of the Harry Roz-On Ring 26, and was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (over thirty-five years of continuous membership), having been an I.B.M. member since 1964.
 He was the Dean of Ring 26, always had a great story to tell, and performed often for those who needed a lift the most, especially those in nursing homes and for those who were ill. He was a magician, comedian, hypnotist, and an attorney.
 The Broken Wand Ceremony was performed by Dean George Schindler of the S.A.M. and by President Jerry Wiesenberg of I.B.M. Ring number 26.
 Morris is survived by his wife, Sybil Simons, also a Ring 26 member, and many family members.

HENRIETTA L. WURTZEL

 Henrietta L. Wurtzel, 98, of Freeport, Illinois, died May 11, 2008. Her husband, Robert, died in 1983, at age 72.
 For many years, the Wurtzels performed as “The Magical Wurtzels,” at various locations across the United States, as well as in Cuba and Canada. Henrietta was also known as Freeport’s “First Lady of Magic,” and was a member of the national organization, Magic Gals. Each year she presented a scholarship at a local community college in person and in a unique way. The check always “disappeared,” and Mrs. Wurtzel would use her magical powers to make it appear.
 The Wurtzels were widely known for their annual Open Houses, featuring performances by magicians throughout the Midwest. She was the last surviving member of her family.