Leo Ruickbie Steps Down as Editor of the Magazine for the Society for Psychical Research
It is the end, my friends. After nine years at the helm, I am stepping
down as editor of our Magazine. It has been a wonderful nine years,
but not without its lows as well as highs. Since the first terrifying
moment I had a magazine to produce with no template and no content, it
has nonetheless been a labour of love to design and develop each issue.
Some of you may already know that I have accepted a position at the
Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies in Las Vegas, with the
consequence that I would not have the time to give to the Magazine. It
was a difficult decision, emotionally, but a simple one when I asked myself
what was best for the Magazine.
When I first took on the editorship, I had little idea what to expect,
but a clear vision of what I wanted the Magazine, then called the
Paranormal Review, to look like. You might recall my first issue with
C.R.W. Nevinson’s Bursting Shell on the cover – that was my motto and
rallying cry, that was my vision. Since then, I have introduced colour
interiors and then a step up to magazine-quality paper. I wanted to create
something you would enjoy looking at as much as reading and, of course,
no amount of razzmataz could detract from the contributors I brought to
these re-invigorated pages. With only a few of the inevitable curmudgeons,
it has been enormously satisfying to work with some of the best writers
and researchers in our field. To them, I raise a glass and offer my heartfelt
thanks, for these authors have given the life-blood to this publication.
To you, my readers, I am also grateful. Grateful for the feedback,
support and encouragement over the years. It has been a great pleasure
and a privilege to produce this magazine for you and I hope that it has
played just as important a role in your lives as it has in mine.
It would be inexcusable if I did not also thank Profs Bernard Carr and
Chris Roe, who interviewed me for the post and ultimately trusted me
with its duties and responsibilities. I remember Prof. Carr tracked me
down to a conference in Cambridge and we held an impromptu meeting in
an unused lecture theatre. Carr seemed satisfied by my replies to his
questions, but at the end, with an uneasy look, he added something along
the lines of “I hope you’ll not put too much witchcraft in the magazine.”
Given that I had just presented a paper on witchcraft, it was a fair
question, but if I have not overwhelmed these pages with witchery, I do
hope that I have added a good dose of magic.
But it is also the beginning. I am pleased to introduce your new
editor, long-standing SPR member Gordon Rutter. Coincidentally, he is
also from Edinburgh, also a photographer and currently teaches at my old
school, The Royal High School, where I learnt to develop my first black-and-
white print, and much else besides. And, I am sure this is no
coincidence, he will also be a sterling editor. Strangely, editors are often
overlooked when the history books come to be written, but they play a key
role in shaping discourse and promoting the discipline, often being
compelled to be strenuous in their efforts to cause other people’s work to
see the light of day. At the SPR, especially, all its editors are at the
forefront of the organization’s interaction with its members. Committee
meetings may come and go, but it is the publications that enter the
homes, and, one hopes, the hearts of the SPR’s members. And when we
are all dust and ashes, it is our publications that shall live on, stored in
the archives, stacked on the bookshelves, our best testament to what we
did and what we thought. In the meantime, I am looking forward to
continuing being a reader and following the next chapter of this
magazine’s adventure. ψ
Dr Leo Ruickbie
Editor, The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research
Contents of The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research, 6
This issue was devoted to the story of Walter Stuart Stinson and his role in the mediumship of his sister Margery Crandon.
More Famous Dead Than Alive
Walter Meyer zu Erpen and Anna Thurlow
Phenomena of the Walter Personality
Walter Meyer zu Erpen and Anna Thurlow
Dirty Thirties, pt 2
Brandon Hodge
The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research is a benefit of being a member of the Society for Psychical Research, see spr.ac.uk for more details.
