by dat8962 » Nov 6th, '12, 21:15
It's been quite a while since I last posted here on TM but I'm thankful to Mandrake for passing on this very sad news via email, and thereby giving me the opportunity to post a few words.
I've never had the pleasure of meeting Allen but have on many occasions shared a post or two with him. It was apparent in the early days of reading Allen's contributions that he was one of the gentlemen of magic who possessed a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that he was willing to share for the benefit of us all. Allen shared his passion for performance with those, including myself who would take the time to read his words and then try our best to put those words into practice.
The magic community is a better place because of people like Allen, but is a sadder place when we lose a friend and colleague of Allen's stature. Unfortunately in this day an age it is not common to come across someone who is both universally respected and admired, but in Allen we had all of this and it was a pleasure to have shared some time with him, albeit online.
A fitting tribute to Allen would be to put into practice the wisdom of magic that he will leave behind and become a better magician through it. I sincerely thank you.
Member of the Magic Circle & The 2009 British Isles Close-Up Magician of the Year
It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!