Anthony (Tony) Cortest
1828 S. Vine St.
Wichita, KS 67213
316-841-4100
e-mail: acortest@hotmail.com

No.  68033R

Just as many fellow magicians in Ring 47, I am a native of Wichita, Kansas. At a tender, young age or probably 7 or 8, I remember visiting Steven’s Magic Emporium and Gil’s Novelty and Costume Shop and usually coming home with a new magic trick to learn. I would spend hours learning and practicing those little ‘kids’ effects, but the magic was just as great as today’s expensive illusions you see on television or in Las Vegas.
 

But, being an Air Force brat, my dad moved us all around the country and half-way across the world a few times, and magic kind of sunk into the background for a spell. After high school, I entered the military at 19 and was stationed in Omaha, Nebraska where I learned about the Omaha Magical Society from some fellow airmen. I joined the Society of American Magicians around 1994 and continued as an active member until I exited the Air Force in 1997. College became my major focus at that point and again, my magic hobby faded into the background for another long slumber.
 

Fast forward a decade and the year is now 2008. I have just finished my graduate degree in Atlanta, Georgia and while looking for gainful employment, I contemplate moving back to Wichita. As my job hunting continues and my packing progresses, I come across two boxes of magical apparatus. I dig through all of the ‘goodies’ and start experiencing that sense of awe and wonder I felt a decade ago and back to my childhood. I say to myself, “There has to be a magic club in a city as big as Atlanta” and sure enough, there are. Two in fact! IBM Ring 9, and SAM Assembly 30. I attend meetings for both, but ultimately decide to only join the IBM’s Ring 9, due to more members and a more diverse group of people. However, after 9 or 10 months of only one magic club meeting per month is just not enough for me. I promptly joined SAM and Assembly 30 as well, but as luck would have it, fate has found me unemployed once again and I moved back to my hometown of Wichita, KS.
 

First order of business: get the house utilities in my name. Second order of business: “Where does the local magic club meet?” I promptly contacted the officers of IBM Ring 47, and have now been an active member since July 2009. One of the first things I got to do was help Shawn Reida set up and tear down his library show a couple of times. Getting to watch his performances and the reactions from the kids and adults inspired me to look for any and every opportunity to start doing magic out in the public so I can gain some ‘real world’ performance experience. I have since volunteered to participate in the club’s booth at the Derby Days celebration and have also done a 20 minute show for my family members at one of my nephew’s birthday parties. I performed for the first time to music while doing my club initiation show at the Aug. ’09 meeting. So far, everyone really seems to enjoy my performances. My hope is to never put my interest in the magical arts on the back burner again, but to now pursue it more than ever. Making people smile is the biggest reward in this hobby!