Dai Vernon
#3 Biographies & History author
(11th June 1894 - 22nd August 1992)
Stage name of David Frederick Wingfield Verner. Learned at age 8 from father, an amateur magician. Moved to New York City in 1913. One of the five original members of the New York "Inner Circle" by 1932. Voted one of the ten living Card Stars in 1938. Known world wide as "The Professor". 1948 Sphinx Award. Moved to Hollywood in 1963 when he became resident magician at the Magic Castle. There he became the mentor of John Carney, Bruce Cervon and Larry Jennings, and later of Jeff Altman, Steve Freeman, Ray Grismer, Earl Nelson, David Roth, Michael Skinner and others.
1968 AMA Masters Fellowship. AMA Board of Directors 1976-79, thence Member Emeritus. 1983 CMI Order of Magic Lamp. SAM Hall of Fame. 1988 Fred Kaps Award. In 1989 Mike Rogers predicted that "There will never be another to influence the art of magic as has Dai Vernon." Many would agree that this is a good bet.
Among his most famous inventions are Triumph (by 1946), Travellers (by 1950), Twisting the Aces (by 1960), Depth Illusion (by 1961) and Stripout Addition.
Coauthors: Lewis Ganson, Faucett Ross
