Meeting, sort of!
I met Jerry Andrus, illusionist, tinkerer, and magician, at the local DaVinci Day’s Art, Science and Technology festival sometime in the ’90s decade. My hands-on science exhibit for kids and Jerry ‘s much more elaborate and comprehensive exhibit of puzzles and illusions for kids of all ages were near each other.
Puzzles and Illusions
I occasionally walked over to his exhibit and tried to solve a puzzle or two, or stare at his spiral circle till everyone looked wavy, or get in line with the kids to stand in some sort of whirlygig which at this time I don’t remember what sensations, what illusions, it created.
What I do remember is talking with an older gentleman who just happened to be there most of the time. He explained some of the illusions and puzzles and we quickly went on to all sorts of other topics. He was knowledgable about much, insightful and witty in a dry sort of way. Later in the day, I learned from one of his volunteer helpers that it was his exhibit, and the various activities were mostly of his own creation. Wow!. Later yet I learned we had some friends in common, and they poured out to me their respect for the talents and creative abilities of the humble man. Nobody mentioned that he was a world renown magician, too.
Albany Historical Museum
A few decades later, Susan and I attended a talk at the Albany Historical Society about Jerry Andrus, including viewing “A Thing of Wonder.” That’s when I learned how well known he is for his magic abilities. He invented props and made them for himself and other stage magicians as well as performing throughout the country.
He was very active through most of his eighties until he died of cancer in 2007 at 89.
“A Thing of Wonder”
Watch “A Thing of Wonder” on YouTube or I think you can purchase it from the Albany Historical Museum.
Going beyond magic, a mask with rolling eyeballs
The Castle of Chaos
His home, “The castle of chaos” as he called it was apparently piled from floor to ceiling with gadgets, props, tools, experiments, including an organ wired to lights, and this scary mask with rolling eyeballs. One woman at the Historical Museum presentation recounted that as much as he liked children, did all sorts of classroom displays, his Halloween displays were a bit too realistic for her then very young daughter.
Interested in reading about more elders who have kept up an active lifestyle into their later years? Click Here