Brother John Charles Hamman S.M. (September 3, 1927 – December 5, 2000) was a close-up magician and Marianist Brother. The tricks he invented are still an integral part of many close-up magician's repertoire. Hamman was world-renowned in the magic community. His initial interest in the art started as a child. As he recuperated from polio, he spent hours learning, practicing and inventing card tricks and other magic involving sleight-of-hand. In many cases, he "reinvented" classic maneuvers or streamlined them. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Catholic Magicians' Guild and the Society of American Magicians. Career Hamman created more than 100 card magic tricks throughout his career. Among the many tricks he invented, he is best known for the Hamman Count, a sleight-of-hand in which cards are falsely counted to give the impression that the magician holds more, or less, than he actually does. He authored many books and videos on magic and was invited to many local, national and international level (including FISM) magician gatherings to display his prowess and ability with cards. In 1995, Bro. Hamman was the first living magician to be honored during the first St. Louis Magical Heritage Awards, the "Hall of Fame" for local magicians. Professional magicians referred to Bro. Hamman as the "Magical Marianist." In his acceptance speech, Hamman explained the key to a successful magic performance: His first major publication was "The Card Magic of Bro. John Hamman, S.M.," published by Paul LePaul in 1958. In his foreword, LePaul wrote, Among magicians, Bro. Hamman is still known as a Magician's Magician. The highest honor the magic community can bestow on one of its own, it refers to one's ability to amaze even fellow conjurers. Despite this, his first love was doing magic for his students. Bro. Hamman was also a skilled Gospel Magician. He frequently used his magic to teach some important aspect of Catholic catechism to his students. Personal life Bro. Hamman was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Godfrey and Olivia (née Ruoff) Hamman. He was one of two boys and a girl. The Loretto Sisters and Sisters of Saint Joseph taught him at St. Luke and St. Rose grade schools before he entered McBride High School in September, 1941. Influenced by Fr. John G. Leies and by his older brother Donald, who was already a Marianist candidate, the young John became a postulant at Maryhurst