GEORGE A. BOWEN

George A. Bowen, 88, of Cork City, Ireland, died January 28, 2008.  He held I.B.M. number 51409R and was a member of Ring 85, The Irish Ring, and Ring 363, The Southern Brotherhood of Magicians.  He was a continuous I.B.M. member since 1994. Born in Taunton, Massachusetts in 1919, much of George's life was spent living and working in New York where he had a variety of occupations ranging from short order cook to Advertising Executive. He also served with the U.S. Army during World War II, much of the time posted in Europe and the United Kingdom. Although interested in magic from an early age, it was his time spent in the Army that really fired his imagination. There he met a number of characters, from magicians to card men, cheats to con artists, and learned much from them!  In 1976, George and his wife Kernochan, moved to Ireland and settled in West Cork. They became highly involved in the local community, worked with Amnesty International, started a local Weavers Guild, and began an Adult Literacy program. George performed magic for many local groups, and anybody who shared his love of magic. In the mid 1990's they moved to Cork City, where George's magic really became influential. His home became a focal point for local magicians, and meetings regularly took place there Monday evenings. Those of us who were lucky enough to have been part of that group have fond memories of George's knowledge, wisdom, humour, and many tales of some of the great magicians of our time. One of George's most treasured magical memories was that he had the great privilege of attending a performance of the great Cardini in New York! George had a fabulous love of magic and that childlike sense of wonder that he held for the art touched all of us who knew him. George was both a mentor and a friend. Although a long time member of the I.B.M., one of George's proudest moments was being a founding member of I.B.M. Ring 363 of which he was an Honorary Life Member. He was recently remembered during our Broken Wand ceremony. (Paul Dee )

STANLEY C. GREER

Stanley C. Greer, 91, of Portland, Oregon, died January 31, 2008.  He held I.B.M. number 6234E, had been a continuous member since 1941, and was a member of the Order of Merlin Excalibur (over fifty years). 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 and connected with other magicians in Oakland, and performed his first magic show as a high school senior. One time, 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 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.

DAVE J. ALTMAN

Dave J. Altman, 66, of Covina, California, died January 12, 2008.  He held I.B.M. number 57179R, and had been a continuous member since 1997. Born in Columbus, Nebraska, he attended colleges in Kansas City and Omaha, married Marla and they 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 RVs 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