Dear all magic members, fans, hobbyists, and well wishers…
Thank you for supporting me as president of the IBM & SAM clubs.
Let me start by calling out the elephant in the room – Yes, I do want to combine the clubs. But I think once you hear the ‘why’, you’ll believe in me and my vision.
Before I jump into the future, I want to take a minute to honor the past. I got started in the magic clubs here in the Valley in 1990. Ring 55 and Assembly 248 have always been good to me. My first magic teacher, Ed Rosenthal, was President when I met him and he eventually made me VP back in the day. Through the years, we’ve seen a lot of change.
But I don’t think any of us saw the massive change that was Covid… and again, I want to send a heartfelt thank you to Robert Ray. He took on a challenge that was just this side of impossible — keep the clubs alive when all too many humans were trying to do the same.
It was no small feat and we owe a debt of gratitude to him for taking up arms against the slings and arrows of uncertainty, and in my opinion, coming out the victor.
Thank you Robert; our clubs, and magic worldwide are grateful for your service.
And on a personal note, having known Robert for however long we have been friends, I’m grateful to have him on board as VP and we should all continue to look to him for guidance and expertise as we move forward.
Now to the present (don’t worry, the future is coming…)
In the coming weeks, we’d like to engage you, our members, directly. We want to seek YOUR guidance as to what you want out of your magic club(s). For now, I don’t anticipate any major changes, but what matters most to me is that this club grows into something that you find useful and meaningful…
We will be sending out a survey and we ask that you take the time to thoughtfully fill it out. Be honest and open. There is no judgment, so speak freely.
And if you’d rather do it the old fashioned way, I’d love to have a phone call, or even meet for a cup of coffee and hear you out in person. I’m more than happy to do what I can to hear you… because after all, you are what this club is about. Without you, our members, there is no club. Without you, there is no magic in Phoenix.
So please, when the time comes, participate. Be heard. Let your magic shine!
Now the future….
This is where it gets tricky. As President, I have a laundry list of things I want to do and accomplish. But that’s not going to be how this goes down. I NEED to hear from you all first.
My vision is to accelerate the positive perception of magic in the Phoenix area. Both from a performance standpoint, and as a community based organization. Because that’s what we are, and that means the members (you!) will have to become involved. A little or a lot, we will take whatever you got!
At the end of this long message, I just want to say that I am honored to have been elected and I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants. Andre, Easley, Sutherland, Dew, and all other namesakes we know, and all those rarely mentioned, they have paid into our clubs so much and I will do my very best to honor them AND YOU for the sake of the art we all know, love and respect… in the name of MAGIC, I am here to serve you.
For now, anticipate the idea of what you really truly want out of your magic clubs.
You’ll be hearing more from us soon.
In love and light,
Your president,
Tank