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HISTORY OF THE REN CLARK IBM RING 15 AND THE FORT WORTH MAGICIANS CLUB |
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The Fort Worth Magicians Club was organized on September 6, 1940 at the home of Ren Clark after several magic enthusiasts
began meeting together to share their love for magic. Ren Clark served as President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1947-48, and in 1948 the club became affiliated with the IBM as the
"Ren Clark IBM Ring 15, The Fort Worth Magicians Club."
Due to legal requirements for for its 501(c)6 non-profit corporation status and other liability related issues, in 2004 The Fort
Worth Magicians Club and the Ren Clark IBM Ring 15 voted to become separate entities, while at the same time continuing to meet simultaneously. |
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HISTORY OF THE BRUCE CHADWICK SAM ASSEMBLY 138 |
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SAM Assembly 138 was originally charted as the Mid-Cities United Magicians Club (abbreviated as MUM) on March 12, 1977 in
Hurst, Texas. There were 7 members on the charter: Robin Clay, James Eaton, William Ridge, Paul Shaffer, Darren Walker, Randy Yates and William Yates. Unfortunately due to inactivity and the demise of the magic shop in
that area that promoted the club's formation, the SAM recalled the club's charter on October 14, 1981.
During the late 1980's, a chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians was established in the Dallas/Fort
Worth, Texas area, led primarily through the efforts of a local minister by the name of Cameron Ainsworth. The group named itself the DFW/FCM (Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians). After
several years of continuous meetings, Cameron moved from Fort Worth to pastor a church in another state. Subsequently the club's meetings became infrequent, its membership dwindled, and ultimately the club also became
inactive. |
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Early in 2001, a young seminary student by the name of Darren Smith approached Bruce Chadwick, owner of the Illusion
Warehouse retail magic shop, about reviving the old Fort Worth chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. Chadwick's store provided a good meeting location due to the fact that it was located only
about three blocks north of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, at 3917 McCart Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas. Subsequently a small group
of individuals began to meet at Chadwick's store on a monthly basis. Naming themselves the Alliance of Illusionists, or AOI for short, the magic group quickly became diverse, with most of its members joining
the club due to the influence of the Illusion Warehouse. Within months the club quickly grew to a membership of over 60 members. |
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On Tuesday evening October 9, 2001, the Alliance of Illusionists
members voted to combine their club with the old Hurst SAM Assembly 138 Mid-Cities United Magicians Club and re-name it as the Bruce Chadwick SAM Assembly 138. The club continued to meet monthly for the next several
years at Chadwick's magic shop. |
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DECISION OF THE THREE CLUBS TO MEET CONCURRENTLY |
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Somewhere during 2005 and certainly by early 2006, a number of members in the three magic clubs concluded that magic would
best be served in Fort Worth if there were only one monthly magic club meeting. Therefore on Thursday June 1, 2006, The Fort Worth Magicians Club, the Ren Clark IBM Ring 15, and the Bruce Chadwick SAM Assembly 138 all
voted to start meeting concurrently.
Now all three magic entities meet simultaneously at the same date, time, and place
to practice, promote and seek the advancement of the art of magic. The SAM Assembly and the IBM Ring still maintain separatism for proper
alignment with their respective national magic organizations, and The Fort Worth Magicians Club Inc remains independent from the IBM Ring and SAM Assembly to fulfill the obligations of it's non-profit legal status.
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MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD |
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One of the distinctives of The Fort Worth Magicians Club is to honor those club members on a yearly basis that go above and beyond to
promote and participate in the club and club activities. Past designees include:
John Hatzenbuhler - 2007
Hal Hudgins - 2008
Geoff Grimes - 2009
Larry Heil - 2010
MIchael Dimsdle - 2011
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