Remembering Jack Bateman

On February 19th, I reported on the passing of Jack Bateman.  On March 3rd, Ring 17 sent an e-mail with recollections of Jack by Dick Joiner.  I'm republishing them here, with Dick's permission.

Recollections by past president, Dick Joiner:

Jack L. Bateman, 95, of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, died February 17, 2014, in a local hospital. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1945-1965), and Ring 17 (Toronto).

He became interested in magic as a schoolboy after watching a performance by magician "Laurante," and magic became a passion the rest of his life. He always carried props in his pockets so he could practice wherever he went. In his youth he developed his comedic talents and an illusion show, featuring his own versions of a "sub trunk" and "cut the lady in six." He invented many tricks, some still on the market, such as "Rub-a-dub-dub," featured on a Bill Malone video.

He also was a teacher of magic; one of his pupils was Doug Henning. He was the Technical Supervisor for Outside Broadcasts for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He developed the first mobile television broadcast units for the CBC.

When he died in the hospital, there was a paddle at his bedside, no doubt to entertain the nurses.

Broken wand: Jack Bateman

I'll post more details as they become available to me.

From the IBM Ring 17 Facebook page:

I am sorry to report the passing of an old ring 17 member. Mr. Jack Bateman, also known as the Wacky Wizard, passed away last Monday evening at Scarborough General Hospital. A good friend, a great mentor, and always inventing new ways to display his magic. R.I.P. Jack. You will be missed