Posted on the Chavez Studio of Magic Facebook page :

"Today, the Chavez Studio of Magic is remembering master manipulator and sleight of hand artist (as well as skilled magic teacher, mentor and friend) Neil Foster, who was born 100 years ago today on October 21, 1920.

Please, feel free to share your pictures, stories and memories of who MAGIC MAGAZINE identified as one of the most influential magicians of the 20th Century, Neil Foster!"






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Here's another shot (in black & white) from the same photo session as the color shot above:

I always enjoyed seeing Neil at the Get-togethers. His performance of Zombie was pure magic.

He was very kind to me when I was a young magician , taking time to show me how to improve my handling on a trick I was attempting to perform (which was too ambitious for me and I'm sure I was terrible at it , but he was so kind and patient to show me how to improve it.)

He is of course closely associated with the Zombie floating ball effect (because he performed it so masterfully) but he was really a great all-around magician. He was a skilled sleight of hand manipulator, but also performed interesting routines with prop magic and often contributed improvements to existing effects.

One more shot of Neil Foster --

Yes, Neil was all those things.

When I was 7 years old, my dad took me to a SAM Assembly 8 (St. Louis) Magic Show and the headliner was Neil Foster.

BAM!!!

Seeing that genius perform his rare breed of Magic was the reason I decided right then and there that I was going to be a Magician.

Getting to hang out with Neil at the Abbott's Get-Togethers while he was still with us was one of, if not THE, highlight of my life as a magician. Whatever Neil performed, he did PERFECTLY!

When I was a teenage, I belonged to the IBM Neil Foster Ring 89 in Battle Creek, MI. It was always special when Neil would show up. One of the most beautiful things I ever saw him perform was the Snip-Snap Silk, a cut and restored silk that was amazing. Of course, he would come over to Marshall to visit Bob Lund at the American Museum of Magic. I would sit on the floor for hours and listen to the two of them tell Stories!

So thanks for sharing these photos and for these memories.

Here is some video footage of Neil Foster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJWcZHiD1uk