A Magical Brotherhood

Back in December Michael Ellis '39 and his wife, Betty Lou, conjured up a little Christmas magic. The "IBM" medallion Mike wears has nothing to do with computers—he is president this year of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Mike occasionally takes his magic act on the road, and his audiences have included his Dartmouth classmates at the 50th Reunion in 1989 and the passengers of the Queen Elizabeth II.

Unlike most members of the Brotherhood, Mike has not been a life-long magic buff. In fact, he learned his first trick at age 60 when, just for the heck of it, he took a magic class. Much of his life has been in show business: acting and stage-managing on Broadway, producing numerous plays, and judging the 1962 Miss America Contest. He has used his theater experience to produce many magic shows, some of them featuring his own act. He says his Broadway days are behind him, though. Now he devotes his life to magic and Betty Lou.