Help us get to over 8,749 articles in 2024.
If you know of a magician not listed in MagicPedia, start a New Biography for them. Contact us at magicpediahelp@gmail.com
Robert Thrasher
| Robert Thrasher | |
| Born | April 13, 1908 Kewanee, Illinouis |
|---|---|
| Died | May 5, 1995 (age 87) |
Robert (Bob) Thrasher (1908-1995) was a professional magician who began in 1926.
Biography
A member of SAM, IBM and IMC, he wrote articles for the Linking Ring and Seven Circles.[1]
Thrasher grew up in Elmira, New York where he and his friend, Erwin Jones, shared a subscription to The Tarbell Course in Magic. He worked his way through Penn State University during the Great Depression performing magic [2] After graduation, he performed professionally for two years, billing himself as "Robert Thrasher and his Bag of Tricks."
While doing graduate work at Cornell University, he became a founding member of the International Magic Circle. He was also an active member of the Piff Paff Poof Club, the Southern Tier Magic Circle (Ring 79, Binghamton, New York).
Thrasher entered the business world, working in North Carolina and New Jersey, and eventually becoming Director of Industrial Relations for the Bendix Corporation based in Montrose, Pennsylvania. He maintained his involvement with magic, serving as S.A.M. National Deputy for Assembly 173 and as a President of the Magician Alliance of Eastern States.
In 1928, he won first place for manipulation with balls at IBM Convention and was awarded a set of Multiplying Pocket Watches from the German magic manufacturer, F.W. Conradi. Bob developed a routine with the watches which became a trademark of his future performances. For the next 50 years Bob was featured at many regional, national and international magic conventions.
In his travels throughout the world, Thrasher had the opportunity of performing in Hong Kong, Switzerland, China, Canada and Holland as well as being a featured guest at the 1978 British Magic Convention in Hastings, England.
In 1974, he became a mentor to Toby Travis, a motivational and inspirational speaker as well as a professional magician.
He retired from Bendix Corporation in 1973.[3] He held I.B.M. number 1273, was a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior.[4][5]
Awards
- First place award for manipulation at the 1928 Kenton, Ohio I.B.M. convention.
- Five first place honors and four second prizes at the 1931 I.B.M. Convention in Columbus, Ohio.
- "Best Magic" in 1949 by the New Jersey Magician's Society.
References
- ↑ Who's Who in Magic, Sphinx, January, 1932
- ↑ Cover, Linking Ring, May 1986
- ↑ Obit, MUM, September, 1995
- ↑ Obit, Linking Ring, August, 1995
- ↑ Obit, Genii 1995 August
