Help us get to over 8,748 articles in 2024.

If you know of a magician not listed in MagicPedia, start a New Biography for them. Contact us at magicpediahelp@gmail.com

Pete Petrashek

From Magicpedia, the free online encyclopedia for magicians by magicians.
Jump to: navigation, search
Pete Petrashek
BornRichard Petrashek

Pete Petrashek served for many years as the National Society of American Magicians film librarian.

Biography

Petrashek graduated from High School with Leland Harlow, a class of 16, in Table Rock, Nebraska and was drafted on December 7, 1943 and went to Fort Crook in Bellevue, Nebraska. After training, Mr. Petrashek was sent to Guam where he spent 14 months, loading bombs onto B-29s and driving decontamination trucks to carry water to mess halls. He also flew on several missions over Japan as an un-official crew member with a bombardier friend.

After service, he joined WOW radio, and then moved onto the TV station and became film editor, later becoming a news photographer and reporter. Petrashek worked with Johnny Carson at both the WOW radio and TV station. He worked at the station for 40 years until his retirement in 1990. Petrashek says Carson is the person that gave him the nickname "Pete" because there were too many people named Richard working at the station.[1]

He was interested in magic early in life; during the 1960s he joined the Omaha Magical Society. He was National Magician of the Year in 1989.

He performs as "Peter the Near (Great)".

References

  1. http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/1208402.html