The I.B.M. Blog & Articles

The International Brotherhood of Magicians

28 Feb

11 People Honored n March Broken Wand

Category: Broken Wand   Posted by: C. DENNIS SCHICK

 BROKEN WAND — MARCH 2019


KENNETH BANFIELD

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters Office learned that Kenneth Banfield, 89, of Zephyrhills, Florida, died August 29, 2018. Survivors include his wife, Vera; daughters Jennifer, Tracy, and Ramona, and their families; and grandson, Graham.

 

PETER A. BIRO


Peter A. Biro, 85, of Los Angeles, California, died December 26, 2018 from complications of a stroke. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1975-2008). He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). He was a world-famous motorsports photographer, who had his work published in not only motorsports magazines (such as “Car and Driver”), but also in books (including “Racer’s Faces,” “Can-Am 50th Anniversary,” and “F1 Mavericks: The Men and Machines That Revolutionized Formula 1 Racing,” due to be published in June. A tribute to him in a recent “Car and Driver” referred to him as “an accomplished magician of no small reputation.” 

 

JULIA M. COX


Julia Malone Cox, 81, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, died January 15, 2019. She was a former member of the I.B.M. (1973-2017). She was a member of Ring 58 (Knoxville, Tennessee). She met her late husband of fifty-nine years, Don, while attending Tennessee Tech University. She worked at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, and the Anderson County Courthouse. After retirement she and Don spent their winters in Punta Gorda, Florida. Survivors include son, Mark; grandson, Aaron; sister Joyce Johnson; and sister-in-law, Judy (William) Wallace. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tennessee Children’s Home, P.O. Box 10, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

 

GARY DARWIN


Gary Darwin, 83, of Las Vegas, Nevada, died February 9, 2019. His I.B.M. number was 40368, and he had been a member since 1985. He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). Born Gary Lee Meador in Denver, Colorado, he became interested in magic at age six when his grandfather vanished a cigarette in a thumb tip. He learned the Linking Rings at age nine, and was performing his own neighborhood shows by his teens. He and his family moved to Las Vegas in 1955, where he lived the rest of his life. He worked at the Riveara, Sahara, and Stardust hotels as a bellhop for over thirty years. He recognized early on — long before Sin City became the magic mecca it is today — that Las Vegas was a fertile ground for magicians, and he was one of the first to perform there in the 1960s. He began performing death-defying acts at age twenty-two, and began billing himself as “Darewin, the man with thirteen lives.” People had trouble pronouncing his real name, so “Darwin” it became. Milbourne Christopher inspired him to become a magic collector, and his Sahara Way home had two rooms with floor-to-ceiling bookcases with over seven thousand magic books. He also collected posters, photographs, and other magic items. He started the Darwin Magic Club in 1968 which met each Wednesday for fifty years. In addition to his magic skills, he was also a magic inventor, as well as an artist, drawing over four hundred caricatures of magicians and famous people. He also wrote many magic books and produced over two dozen video tapes. One friend wrote, “Everyone in Vegas knew Gary. He helped every magician who ever passed through Sin City and his generosity was unsurpassed.”

 

LOU DEAN


Lou Dean, 83, of Richmond, Virginia, died January 10, 2019. His I.B.M. number was 63299, and he had been a member since 2002. He also was a member of Ring 180 (Richmond, Virginia). He was an entertainer on WRVA radio for many years: over the years he hosted the station’s All-night Show, hosted a call-in program, was Program Director, was Community Services Director, and hosted a news magazine program, “Newsroom.” After retiring he worked in public relations and media services for Henrico County. He was active in community affairs, from the Science Museum of Virginia and S.P.C.A., to tourism, the cancer society, and Swift Creek Mill Theater. He was the long-time Master of Ceremonies for the Festival of Arts at Dogwood Dell. Memorial contributions may be made to the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation, P.O. Box 11624, Richmond, VA 23230.

 

EDWARD C. DENNY

 

The I.B.M. Headquarters office recently learned that Edward Curtis Denny, 90, of Ooltewah, Tennessee, died May 31, 2018. His I.B.M. member number was 15565, and he had been a member since 1955 (sixty-four years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior (sixty years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 58 (Knoxville, Tennessee), and Ring 2100 (The Universe). He was instrumental in reactivating Ring 58 in Knoxville, after eighteen years of dormancy. He became the “new” Ring’s first president. He also was editor of the Ring’s newsletter for over two decades. He had the idea of hosting an annual convention and the Winter Carnival of Magic is now in its 45th year. He retired from Martin Lockheed after working as a physicist at the K-25 and Y-12 plants for over thirty years. In addition to magic, his hobbies included amateur radio and computers. He was a member of the Knoxville Choral Society for more than three decades. Preceded in death by two wives, he is survived by sons Edward, Jr., Stephen (Rosa), and David (Corrine); seven grandchildren; and two great-grandsons. 

 

LOREN J. OVERHOLT


Loren Joseph Overholt, 97, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, died December 18, 2018. He was a member of the Magician’s Guild of London. Survivors include his wife of seventy-six years, Evelyn; children, Jo Anne Lightbody (Stuart), Denise Nugent (Jim), and David (Helen); five grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Church on the Rock Building Fund, 2149 Upper James St., Mount Hope, ON LOR 1WO, or SEND International, 1-22423 Jefferies Road, RR5, Komoka, ON NOL 1R0.     

 

CHARLES G. RICHARDS

 

The I.B.M Headquarters office recently learned that Charles “Gib” Richards, 83, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died June 5, 2017. He was a former I.B.M. member (1967-2016). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty-five years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 90 (Albuquerque, New Mexico). Born in Waukegan, Illinois, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, he earned B.S., M.S. and PhD.degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan. He worked for Bendix, NASA, and Livermore Labs, as well as was a professor at the University of New Mexico. He started performing magic in 1965, developing a summer Clown Magic Act. He performed throughout the United States and Canada as “Fumbles.” He received a special “Honor Award” from the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs. Survivors at the time of his death were his wife of fifty-eight years, Kay; daughters Marci and Heidi (Lynn); grandchildren Brittney and Dilynn; sister, Jean (Bob); and sister-in-law, Connie (Gary). Donations in his name may be given to the New Mexico Parkinson’s Coalition, or Mayo Clinic for Parkinson’s Research.

 

EDWARD J. SLOWINSKI


Edward J. Slowinski, 92, of Lemone, Illinois, died February 16, 2019. His I.B.M. member number was 15841, and he had been a member since 1956 (sixty-three years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior (sixty years a continuous member). Born in Chicago, Illinois, at age eighteen he entered the U.S. Navy, and served on a destroyer escort ship during WWII. After the Navy he went on to work at Sargent and Lundy Engineers in Chicago, where he designed nuclear power stations. Among his hobbies was magic, candle making, gardening, coaching girl’s softball, and painting. He entertained thousands of people as both Eddie Sann the Magic Man, and as Swinky the Clown. He and his wife travelled throughout the country attending magic conventions. He never went anywhere without a deck of cards and balloons in his pockets. Survivors include his wife of seventy years, Dorothy; children, Thomas (Merry Jo), Mary Jean (Joe) Ambrosini, Karen, Elizabeth (Bruce) Kleckler, and Joseph (Mary); twelve grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.

 

WILLIAM F. VON STOCKEN

 

The I.B.M. Headquarters office recently learned that William F. Von Stocken, 91, of Wilson, North Carolina, died April 24, 2018. Previously he lived in Burnsville, Minnesota. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1959-2016 — fifty-seven years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excalibur (fifty years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 19 (Minneapolis, Minnesota), and the Society of American Magicians. He performed throughout the Midwest, and even in parts of the East Coast, as “Darnay the Great.” His main focus was Gospel Magic. He graduated from Gale Institute in Minneapolis, and Minneapolis Business College. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, as both a radio operator and in the Horse Calvary. He worked in sales for several companies over the years. In addition to magic, other interests included Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and coaching his son’s baseball teams and his daughter’s softball teams. Survivors include a son, Bill (Noel), a daughter, Darla (Ron) Lievense; and four granddaughters. Memorial contributions may be made to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, or to the Gideons.

 

RICHARD A. WUNDERLICH


Dr. Richard A. Wunderlich, 89, of Arnold, Maryland, died January 12, 2019. His I.B.M. member number was 18194, and he had been a member since 1984. He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty-five years a continuous member). He also was a member of the Society of American Magicians. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and a doctorate from John Hopkins University. He taught psychology at Catholic University of America. He had a love of magic since childhood and performed as “Dr. Wonder.” In addition to magic, other interests included watercolor painting, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Survivors include his wife of thirty-one years, Jewell. Memorial contributions are suggested to any educational institution.

 

END    

 

 



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