Bill Andrews   70 Years a Magician and Gentleman

by Phil Willmarth with George Schindler

On April 25, 2002, Bill Andrews, former National President of the Society of American Magicians (1987-88), was named Magician of the Year by the Parent Assembly of the S.A.M. Let's take a look at why.

Like most of us, Bill Andrews became enamored when an older student performed the Ball and Vase and Chinese Rings.  This small flame was firmly fanned when his mother took him to New York to see Hardeen, brother of the late Houdini, performing at the Hippodrome.  He saw "The Flight of Time" and Metamorphosis.  With a saved dollar, he bought a magic set and was off and running.  He did his first professional show at fifteen for the princely sum of $5.00.  He was befriended by Tom Chadick, an assistant with the Thurston Show.  Tom helped him develop an act for club dates, conventions, and a few trade shows.  He worked with a cabinet worker to develop illusions for a full-evening show, an effort interrupted by World War II.

He did USO shows, camp shows, and worked at bond rallies.  He met John B. Handy, then president of the S.A.M. who got him involved with Assembly #32 in Virginia where he met Hersey Basham, the late Wallace Lee, and the late Mystic Craig.

With the war still on, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy where his magic talents were quickly discovered and it soon became a full schedule of magic shows for the officers clubs, barracks parties, etc.  From boot camp he was sent to the South Pacific.  In Honolulu, Bill attended a show by the famous Tenkai, met him after the show, and was invited to the great magician's apartment. He taught Bill several tricks he still performs.

When the war ended Bill returned to Richmond where he helped form what became Assembly #45.  He served as president of the assembly for several years.  And, he resumed building that stage show.  Around 1948, "An Evening in Magic" debuted and ran about four years.  In that time Bill learned that doing the magic was far easier than keeping the company fully booked and dealing with the constant turnover of assistants.  He reluctantly closed the show and went back to work as a single doing club dates, private parties, trade shows, etc.

In 1954, he met several executives of the Revlon Company who offered him an opportunity in their company.  He could not resist the comfort of a regular job and thus began a thirty-year career with Bill moving up through the ranks to the World Headquarters in New York City.  He became a vice president of sales and marketing and, of course, used magic in many of his sales and marketing presentations.  When he retired from Revlon in October, 1984, the company arranged a party with a magic theme and even hired a magician to entertain him.

Since magic had played such an important part in his business success, Bill decided that he would attempt to repay magic for all he felt it had done for him and became very active working for the Society of American Magicians.  He served as ticket and poster chairman for the Parent Assembly's 1985 "Salute to Magic."  He served two years as National Chairman of the S.A.M. Life Membership Committee.  And, as already noted, as National President in 1987-88.  The following year, he founded the Stamford Assembly of Young Magicians, which he still leads today, providing guidance, and esteem-building programs for young people (6 - 17) throughout Connecticut, and Westchester County, New York.  Hundreds of kids have been a part of this assembly and a number have gone on to success in magic careers.  Many of his "graduates" were on hand to see Bill get his Magician of the Year award and gave him their own gift they officially renamed SYM #42 the "Bill Andrews Assembly."

And, yes, for the curious, Bill Andrews is an I.B.M. member and lives with his wife, Helen, in Stamford, Connecticut.  If he has done a great deal for the S.A.M., please understand that he has done a great deal for magic. It is a pleasure to salute this gentleman of magic here.
 

Article reprinted with permission from the July 2002 issue of The Linking Ring.

Linking Ring is a publication of The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.).

Check http://www.magician.org for more information.