l white

Lawrence B. White was born September 21, 1935. Like so many of us he found magic in his youth and performed for his friends and classmates through his school years. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Science/Education. Through these years, he worked summers and vacations at the Boston Museum of Science.

Following a tour of duty as an Army combat photographer, Larry returned to the Boston Museum of Science in the Education Department. To supplement his fantastic annual salary of $2,200, he got permission to go "on the road" with a "lecture" (they frowned on the word "show") booked by the museum under the museum banner.

In 1965, Larry became Assistant Director of the Science Center in the Needham Public Schools. When then director Norman D. Harris retired, Larry became the director and hired Dan DeWolf as assistant director. The two toured Needham schools with their inspirational and educational science offering, developed teaching aids and materials, ran teacher training workshops, established a "lending library" of both tame and wild live animals for children to observe, and published CURRENTS, a one page flyer sent regularly to teachers addressing timely science subjects. Simultaneously (and at the same time) they ran the Center developing exhibits and experiments designed to interest students in the fascinating world around us.

About forty years ago, Larry married Doris and together they raised two sons: Bill, a professional autograph dealer in San Francisco (who has a boy, Nicholas and a girl, Hadley) and Dave, a contractor who is also an accomplished magician and juggler (who has two boys and a girl, Timothy, Danny and Jeanette).

For several years, Larry has been the science columnist for Marilyn Edward's magazines. Hopscotch for girls, and Boy's Quest (you guess).

Larry is the inventor of the "Tri-Section" illusion which Wellington Industries is bringing out on the market shortly. His current projects in magic are: With the help of two magician friends, he devised, wrote, built the effects for and produced "A Visit With Lizzie-The Lizzie Borden Séance". This is a production that is done by professional actors in the actual Lizzie Borden House in Fall River. Also, building a "Flea Circus"

"In my retirement, Larry writes, "I have taken a part-time job as a Produce Clerk at a local supermarket. I do this for two reasons: To get away from sitting before a computer, get some exercise and get out of Doris' hair for a few hours every week. I am now an expert in the various types of apples and how to tell a ripe cantaloupe".

Work Experience: Ten years in the Education Department of the Museum of Sciences, Boston. Positions held: Education Associate, Director of Long Range-Range Planning, Director of the Theatre of Electricity and Supervisor of Courses & Programs.

Thirty-three years at the Science Center, Needham, Massachusetts Public Schools. 13 of these as Assistant Director and 20 years as Director.

Science Consultant (past and present): Cincinnati Science Center, Cincinnati, OH; Trailside Museum, Milton, MA; Nature Science Center, Winston, Salem, NC; Children's Discovery Museum, Acton, MA; Museum Institute For Teaching Science, Boston, MA; Detroit Science Center, Detroit MI; National Science & Technology Week, National Science Foundation; National Engineers Week.

Television Science Host: "Kid's Thing", WNAC-TV; "Good day", WCVB-TV, "Science Countdown", WBZ-TV; "TV High School", WGBH-TV.

Author: Life In The Shifting Dunes: A Popular Field Guide To The Natural History of Castle neck, Ipswich, Massachusetts, Museum Of Science, Boston (1960); Investigating Science With Coins (1969); Investigating Science With Rubber Bands (1969); Investigating Science With Nails (1970); Investigating Science With Paper (1970); Science Tricks (1975); Science Puzzles (1975); Science Toys (1975); Science Games ((1975); So You want To Be A Magician (1972); The Great Mysto... That's You! (1975), all published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Now You See It: Easy Magic For Beginners, Little Brown & Company (1979); The Trick Book, Doubleday & Company (1979); Sixty Silly Jokes You Can Play On Your Friends, Scholastic editon of above (1981); Scholastic Magazine edition of above. Sofbound: Abrakadabra Maklike Towertoertijeis vir Beginners, Afrekanan's Edition of above, Tafelberg-Uitgews Bpk (1981); The Surprise Book, Doubleday & Company (1981); Abra-Ca-Dazzle: Easy Magic Tricks, (1982); Hocus-Pocus: Magic You can Do (1984); Razzle-Dazzle! Magick Tricks For You (19870, all for Albert Whitman; Optical Illusions-A First Book, Franklin Watts (1986); Energy (1995); Water (1995); Air (1995), last four for Milbrook Press. Ongoing- Science Editor for Hopscotch and Boy's Quest magazines.

Awards & Recognitions: National Science Teacher's Association "Excellence in Education; Channel 5 TV "Class Act" Award; Action For Children's Television "Award of Excellence"; Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Award; TIME magazine "The American Scene" (1988); National Science Foundation "Directions & Final Report (1989) Goldin Award; "Best One Man Parade", The Linking Ring (1992); "Leslie Guest Award of Excellence, M-U-M (1993); Guest of Honor, Inner Circle of Bizarre Magick Gathering in 2001.

Magic: Active magician. Member of S.A.M and I.B.M. Previously, new products reviewer and guest editor for the Magic Manuscript magazine. Presently, Magic Editor for M-U-M, the official monthly magazine of the S.A.M. Developed and presented over 1000 "Science Magic" shows throughout the New England area. Invented and manufactures over 20 magic effects which are currently sold to magicians commercially. longtime consultant to a number of professional magicians and illusionists.

This profile was written by Phil Wilmarth and appeared in the Linking Ring, Volume 82, number 12, December 2002.

Larry retired from being the Magic Editor of M.U.M. Magazine in 2005 after doing a wonderful job for the magazine for 12 years. David Goodsell, his good friend and the Editor of M.U.M Magazine for 30 years, also retired from the magazine. They continued to work together though and created the Oracle Magic Magazine with the first issue being released in January 2006 (the last issue, Volume 3, Number 6, being in the late summer of 2008).

Throughout the history of the Oracle, Larry had been fighting various cancers but he always managed to get the issues out on time and run the Oracle website with the help of his wife of 48 years, Doris.

Larry White passed away at 04:21 on the 21st December 2008 as a result of the widespread cancers. He is greatly missed by all who knew him personally as well as the many who only knew him through his writings and postings on various e-groups. To read a small selection of the many tributes, click HERE.