I am sad to relate that Jerry Andrus died of cancer yesterday.
Jerry is a little bit hard to describe. Magician, illusionist, thinker… he delighted in making people see things in a different way. It is nearly impossible for any of us to see the world as differently as he did, though. He was a true skeptic. He took nothing for granted; he looked for something different, some new way of observing things which would lead to either improving them or using them as a way of getting others to think outside their normal parameters.
At James Randi’s first Amaz!ng Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale back in 2003, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jerry at lunch. I had not heard of him before, and I was a bit stupefied at this elderly gentleman who was so sharp and so, well, odd. Everything he said or did was a bit of a jolt, like having someone take the glasses off your face, cleaning the lenses, and letting you see something just a little bit more in focus.
His illusions were delightful. The image above shows one of his favorites, using perspective to throw off your sense of direction. Go to his page with videos of his illusions. You’ll love ‘em.
We’ve lost yet another brilliant mind, and the world is a poorer place because of it.
August 27th, 2007 at 9:51 am
You’ve written a perfect description of a genuine treasure to humanity, Phil. I actually got to see him give a talk once, and it really did a lot to demonstrate to me that the world around us should never be taken for granted. And, he did so at a time in my life where I believed I had things pretty well figured out. And, I’ll always be grateful for the doubt he planted in my head.
It’s a tragic loss, and I don’t know if we’ll ever see another human being quite like him.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:01 am
I never heard of him before now. I wonder… is he the one that the Andrus Planetarium, which I have visited numerous times, is named for?
http://www.hrm.org/planetarium.html
(Nothing on the site mentions where the name came from, nor have they mentioned Jerry Andrus’ death.)
August 27th, 2007 at 10:40 am
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/
Perry died this weekend too. I’m pretty sure the BA has been on Skeptics Guide before. Very sad weekend
August 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Met him at TAM 5, and I could tell he was something to treasure.
August 27th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Oh NO!
That’s terribly sad. I met him and spoke with him quite a bit at TAM 5. He was an amazing guy to talk to and I was hoping very much to have the opportunity to do so again at a coming TAM, but I had heard he had been ill.
I feel lucky, however, to have had the chance to meet him. It was a wonderful opportunity that many will now not be able to share.
August 27th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
James Randi has been updating us locals on Jerry’s health for the past few months. Though we knew Jerry wasn’t long for the world, the news doesn’t seem any easier to take.
One thing I would like to add to his description as a skeptic and illusionist is that I think he was just, plainly put, a good guy. He was nice, friendly, appraochable, easy to smile, eager to share and humble. Such simple qualities are easy to take for granted. But I appreciated them.
August 27th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
All future TAMs will seem a bit poorer now.
I too enjoyed his illusions at the TAMs I’ve attended (3, 4 and 5 so far) and enjoyed the way he interacted with all those who stopped by his displays.
Sad news indeed.
August 27th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
“We’ve lost yet another great mind.”
We still have you, BA.
August 27th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
It wasn’t until I lokked at the videos that I realized that he was on Bill Nye the Science Guy years ago.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
A great person, a kind person and a massive loss to us all. I enjoyed our brief meetings at TAM3 and 5 – it will not be the same without him. I note that there’s a blog feature on his website to leave messages of condolence to his friends and family.
August 27th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
KaiYeves, thanks. I disagree that I am up there with some of my own heroes, but I appreciate it.
Never forget: we not only still have lots of good people out there, but we also have people sharing it with others. We can take the candle when others fall before us, but we must ensure that more are ready to hold it for us when our time comes.
August 27th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
I first became aware of Jerry Andrus from an article in OMNI Magazine back in the early 1980’s. Many years later when I became acquainted with the series of tubes known as the Internet, I was able to see what he’d been up to in the previous 15 or so years. It’s sad to know that he is gone, but his wonders will live on.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:16 am
I may have spent a total of an hour in his presence on several occasions over the last ten years, but each time I came away with the feeling that I had met a True Teacher and a man who was genuinely at peace, as I would want to be, if I didn’t want to kill so many of the idiots who are screwing up this world. Grit teeth. Smile.
RIP, Jerry Andrus.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I first heard of him at the very first TAM down in Florida.
Always thought he’d be a permanent staple of TAM no matter how long they went on for.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I’m a bit younger than you, BA, and didn’t experience a lot of the ‘Classic’ TV teachers of science, as they were gone before I was old enough to care, so my science heroes are somewhat different. I didn’t have Jacques Cousteau or the like. My ‘ocean guy’ has always been the awsome Robert Ballard. My ‘animal guy’ was the late, great Steve Irwin. My ‘general science guy’ was Bill Nye. I never had a ’space guy’ before, but this year, I’ve read two Sagan books and liked them very much.But before that, I visited this website. YOU are my ’space guy’, BA. Keep up the good work.
August 29th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Hello and thanks for this bit of revelation on Mr. Andrus who I feel sure I have seen in dozens of places and took for granted. Darn, you always think there is time.
I think he was a walking miracle and your description is very appropriate.
Thanks for the words.
August 31st, 2007 at 11:40 am
At the last Skeptic society meeting at Caltech, my son, girlfriend and I met Jerry and Mike Gilmore at the hotel on the first day, and carpooled over to the campus to attend the lectures and such. We got to help set up his illusions, and wound up acting as impromptu assistants for the event, and helped demonstrate some of his amazing little machinery.
After the evening concluded on both nights, we went to the hotel bar for refreshments ( Jerry only had O.J. ) and he regaled us with his poetry, song lyrics, and pictures of his inventions. He was a wonderful man who was a part of the dying breed of people who can do almost everything technical, mechanical, electrical, etc., one of those people who can see what the finished product will look like before he starts building it.
I have been fascinated by his illusions for many years, and the few hours we spent with him are times I will recall and treasure for the rest of my days.
Thank you, Jerry…
September 26th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
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April 23rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Check out the wonderful documentary done about Jerry Andrus: http://www.myspace.com/athingofwonder