Philip Reed Willmarth (August 19, 1931 - September 16, 2014) was an American magician, magic historian, lecturer, author and editor. He was president of the

International Brotherhood of Magicians International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 l ...

between 2007 and 2008, and had been a member of the organization since 1969.

Life and career

Phil Willmarth was born in

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Shenango River at the mouth of Neshannock Creek, it is northwest of Pittsburgh near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, approximately so ...

. He became interested in magic when his physician father gave him a book on the topic. Wilmarth began performing magic while studying at

Allegheny College Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is a member of the G ...

, where he received a bachelor's degree in Arts in Communications in 1953. He later joined the Army, serving stateside. He began working for the Tatham-Laird Agency, and later founded his own company. Wilmarth returned to magic, moving to

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County Illinois, United States. A northwestern Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

in the 1950s. Wilmarth relocated to

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, in 1998, and died there of cancer on September 16, 2014, aged 83. Willmarth appeared on the cover of

The Linking Ring ''The Linking Ring'' is a monthly print magic magazine published by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for its members since 1922. It is based in Bluffton, Ohio. In 2007, Samuel Patrick Smith, a magician, author and publisher ba ...

three times. His remains were interred at Lakeside Cemetery in Colon, MI in August 2015.

Publications

Willmarth wrote numerous books and articles on the field of magic and its performance including "The Magic of Matt Schulien" (1959), "Fun With a Handkerchief" (1969), "The Ring and Rope Book" (1975), "Jim Ryan Close-up" (four volumes, 1980–81), "The Knot Collector" (1989) and "The Impostress Princess Expanded" (2011). He also published other authors' books. Willmarth was the assistant editor of ''The Linking Ring'' magazine from 1978 to 1992 and executive editor until 2007.

Awards

He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield and received a Literary Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willmarth, Phil 1930s births 2014 deaths American magicians People from New Castle, Pennsylvania People from Arlington Heights, Illinois People from Durham, North Carolina Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Allegheny College alumni Academy of Magical Arts Literature & Media Fellowship winners