Listings P-S

BILL PITTS lives in Fort Smith, Arkansas; born there on February 5, 1926. When he was a young boy, his Father, O.W. Pitts, Jr., was an amateur magician and performed at local and area clubs, churches, etc. As soon as his dad thought he was old enough to perform some magic effects he started tutoring him with some simple tricks, using coins, thimbles, etc. The entire Pitts family was interested in magic, with his sister assisting Bill in some of his shows. His dad made some tricks for him, and mother made table drapes, etc. Bill’s very first magic convention was Abbott's 6th annual Get-together, in 1939. In fact, Percy Abbott asked him to perform on the night-before show that year. It was a great family gathering, and the entire family journeyed to Colon for a number of years, and appeared on a number of the evening shows there.  While serving in the Army Air Corps, during World War II, and in the pilot training programs, Bill performed through the Special Services units at Field hospitals, Officer's Clubs, and local civic organizations. He continued with the latter after his service discharge. Bill is a Past I.B.M. International President (1978-79); served on The Fleming Memorial Committee; Ring 75, of Fort Smith, is named for him; he has been an officer of the S.A.M., and served as Regional Deputy, South Central States. Bill’s lovely wife Ruth, can’t be left out of this short bio. Together they perform at various functions around the country. Ring 186, New York, is named for Ruth and her late husband, Clark Fonda. Sam Walton called Bill his favorite magician. Bill is a member of the I.B.M’s Order of Merlin, Excelsior!

VANNI PULE' was born and still lives in the small independent island nation of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.  He has been hooked on magic since he was thirteen and has performed in all kinds of situations, from close-up to stage.  Although his profession is that of lecturer in English Literature, he managed to perform cabaret magic as a part-time professional, mostly in hotels and restaurants, twice a night for over thirty years together with his wife, Mary Anne. He has also appeared hundreds of times on television, as guest and in his own specials. His IBM membership is continuous and started in 1969.  He has served as secretary and President of Ring 202  for many years, is currently Ring President, Territorial Vice-President for Malta, member of the International Relations Committee and executive board member.  He is also a Gold Star member of the Inner Magic Circle http://www.themagiccircle.co.uk/.

SINDIE RICHISON started working at the International Brotherhood of Magicians Headquarters Office in October 2005 and has been the International Executive Secretary since January 2006. All her magic is performed at the International Brotherhood of Magicians Headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. In the shadow of the St. Louis Arch, Sindie makes member’s paperwork dance.  She levitates new member applications and renewals. Handling knotty situations is one of her speciality acts as well. With slight of hand, she zips off dozens of emails a day in response to the International Brotherhood of Magician’s 12,000-plus members. As part of her balancing act, Sindie has been married to a magician, Terry Richison, for over 26 years. Their two children are budding magicians who also perform. You can catch Sindie’s magic act officially Monday – Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Central time (U.S.).  Unofficially, she also is likely to appear during her off time as well.

DAKOTA ROSE has been interested in magic since he was eight-years-old. His mom bought him a magic kit for Christmas. She signed him up for a few magic lessons to prepare a little something for his second grade talent show that spring. That’s when he met his mentor, Larry Taylor (Mr. Taylor changed his life forever.) That talent show ended up being 25 minutes long with a vanishing and reappearing girl as the finale. The school went crazy. Dakota was hooked on magic forever. He has since won several competitions, performed at several magic conventions, and continues to perform in his community.  Magic has opened many doors for Dakota.  He has met many wonderful people from all around the world and they all call him friend.  As a relative youngster in the magical arts he feels very lucky. “I already know that I will continue to make magic and acting my career.”  You have to practice very hard everyday, and try to learn everything you can about magic through private classes, books, videos, lectures, and talking with experts in the magic field.  Dakota served as youth editor for The Linking Ring. He interviewed youth magicians from around the world and wrote an article about them for the journal. He is a firm believer that you should find a passion and reach for your dreams. His personal experience is that you can do what ever you want if you want it bad enough and work hard enough. He was the I.B.M. Youth Stage Contest winner in 2004.   www.dakotarosemagic.com

ROLANDO H. SANTOS, IM, AIMC (aka Mitos Odnalor) Creator of the Chronicles of Arch Mage Mitos Odnalor and the Sanctum Sancti Archives. In July 2010, he was inducted as president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. In the traditional Magic world, Rolando is the Assistant Editor of The Linking Ring, a member of the executive committee of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and a member of Ring 9 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a former Atlanta Magician of the Year, a combined award voted on by members of both the I.B.M. and the Society of American Magicians. He also holds an AIMC with Silver Star degree from The Magic Circle in London.  He also holds a PhD. In Magic from 4F.  Rolando wrote a monthly Ethics column for The Linking Ring and currently is a reviewer as well. He has been published in several other prominent magic magazines.  Rolando is the creator of "The WHY GRID" a how-to system for improving story lines and routines.  It was published in the March 1999 issue of MAGIC magazine. As Mitos Odnalor, he has had a Linking Ring Parade published, and several of his stories were part the of "The Devil of Bar and Pub" Bizarre Magic Anthology. Rolando has translated lecture notes into Spanish for Dan Garrett and Michael Ammar. Rolando has been doing magic for over 25 years. He calls it his sanity check, stress buster, and creative juice maker. He likes to weave the people, places, and incidents from over three decades as a journalist, an on-air reporter, and his world travels for CNN into his routines. He most enjoys creating original storylines and helping other magicians streamline and improve their own presentations and patter. He prefers walking in the Shadows and is a member of "The Immortals" Magic Society. In the world of light, Rolando is the Sr. Vice President, International Relations for CNN International, based in the United States. Rolando is also the former President of CNN en Español, CNN's first Spanish Language 24-hour news network, which he launched in 1997. He has also played a key role in launching CNN networks in Spain and Turkey. Email:  santosmago@aol.com; and rsantos@magician.org  

JERRY SCHNEPP, JR. is a member of "The Magic Family Schnepp." Jerry has been involved with magic and the IBM since he was a toddler. In his first show, he was the surprise final production from his father's sword basket. As a teen, he honed his skills at the family magic shop. He has since gone on to hold several posts on the IBM international convention committee. He is Audio-Visual Coordinator for the I.B.M. Convention Contests. Jerry lives in Chicago and teaches computer graphics at DePaul University. jerry@magician.org

T.J. SHIMEID: A magical career began over twenty years ago at the age of eleven with his first professional show. It has expanded from birthdays, to stage shows at festivals, to a water theme park, to an eight-year apprenticeship with “Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company.”  Along the way he has taught magic through the Society of Young Magicians, Tannen’s Magic Camp, private workshops, and his own “zine” for young magicians, “FizBin.”  In 2003 his biography of Walter B. Gibson and The Shadow was published by McFarland.  His membership in the I.B.M. continues over a dozen years; his heart will always be with Ring 166 in Manchester, New Hampshire, though he relocated with his wife and son to Morganton, North Carolina where he works as a pharmacy technician and writer. It has been his pleasure to be Ring Reports Editor for The Linking Ring since October 2006, helping to link the Rings from around the world. http://www.magician.org/member/tjshimeld  

SAMUEL PATRICK SMITH is the Executive Editor of The International Brotherhood of Magicians' monthly journal, The Linking Ring. He has been a member of the I.B.M. since 1977. The author of nine books and co-author of two children, Mr. Smith makes his home in Eustis, Florida. He has been lucky to have had two signifigant mentors in magical life. The first was Burling Hull (1889-1992), inventor of the Svengali Deck and the Floating Light Bulb. The second was the lengendary Fetaque Sanders (1915-1992), a leading African-American magician whose career spanned twenty-five years, from 1931 to 1958. In addition to magic, Sammy's interests include history, biography, and books. (E-Mail)

DR. WILLIAM E. SPOONER. Bill Spooner has been a member of the I.B.M. for over 50 years. He served as International President in 1985-1986, and was the International Treasurer from 1990-1995. In 2003 he was inducted into the Order of Merlin Excalibur (50 years continuous membership). Bill has served on numerous committees over his many years of service to the Board of Trustees. In 1993 he was awarded an Honorary Life Membership. He has been a Trustee of the Endowment and Development Fund since 1982. Bill is an author and inventor of magical effects and prefers close-up magic, but feels equally at ease with stage magic. He is a retired science educator.

RICHARD A. (DICK) STAUB is a member of the IBM Board of Trustees and serves on the Finance Committee and  as International Ring Coordinator for many years. He is a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior (over 60 years of continuous membership). He currently enjoys tremendous success performing magic for adult and children’s groups all over Tennessee. He has a new specialty show, “Magic of the Mind.” This new show delights audiences with fast-paced demonstrations of the untapped powers of the human mind including mind reading, rapid calculation, and psychological influences. Dick retired after 36 years as Senior Executive Regional Manager for Sears Roebuck and Company.  Dick resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He is an active member of Ring 37 and Ring 252. He is the proud father of six children and “Grand Pa" to eight.

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