In January 2003, Len Cooper, the man who started the Browser's Den, sadly passed away. He had run the shop from 1975 (when he opened it) until 1995 (when he sold it to its second and current owner, Jeff Pinsky). His brother Norm had come to Toronto from New York for the funeral service, and wanted to do something to honour Len's memory. He approached Jeff Pinsky and asked him if he had any ideas.
Jeff knew that Len believed magic should be studied seriously, and that the books were the best source of information. Len would regularly recommend The Tarbell Course to any serious student of the craft.
It was decided to create the Len Cooper Memorial Award, an annual award given to a young magician (25 years or younger) who showed promise and dedication toward the Art of Magic. The award would come with a complete set of The Tarbell Course in Magic. Len's brother Norm donated $1000 for ten years toward financing the award, with the shop contributing the balance.
The Browser's Den continues to honour Len's memory each year at our Anniversary Party by giving out the award and books to a deserving young magician. Below is a complete list of the recipients, from its beginning in 2003 to the present time.
|
2023 |
|
|
Savio Joseph |
2021 Kevin Hamdan |
2020 Patrick Nemeth |
2019 Jacqueline Swan
|
|
2018 Jonah Babins
|
2017 RJ Steele
|
|
2016 Ryan Murray
|
2015 Ahmed Alexander
|
|
2014 Ryan Brown
|
2013 Arthur Poon
|
|
2012 Mahdi Gilbert
|
2011 Mark Chan
|
|
2010 James Alan
|
2009 Chris Westfall
|
|
2008 Ben Train
|
2007 Luke Murray
|
|
2006 Neil Croswell
|
2005 Shane Cobalt
|
|
Nik Vucicevich
|
|
2004