Winton A.J. Carroll, 86; Army Major-Turned-Magician

Winton A.J. Carroll, 86, who rediscovered his love of magic while serving in the Army and after retiring as a major went on to become a popular magician in the Washington area, died Oct. 5 of congestive heart failure at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Maj. Carroll, who was known as "the Magical Major" and "Carroll the Magician," performed during his 20-year military career for soldiers, in children's hospitals overseas and for the shah of Iran. After retiring from the Army in 1959, he continued doing magic tricks in the Washington area, where he was known as a superb entertainer for his sense of humor and sincerity.

He appeared at the White House a birthday party for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's granddaughter Susan, and at hundreds of children's parties, women's club functions and nursing homes. He taught magic at Catholic University's adult education program and at the Smithsonian Institution.

"He loved it," said Jack S. Mance, a friend and former fellow magician. "He knew how to get the kids laughing, how to get them involved. You can't say much more about magic than that."

Maj. Carroll was a Washington native and graduate of Roosevelt High School, and he cultivated an interest in magic in his early teens. After high school, he worked for the Washington Evening Star for 10 years, where he rose from carrier to assistant manager.

In 1939, he enlisted in the Army at Fort Belvoir and served in Company F, 5th Engineers. He went to Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox in 1942.

Subsequently, he was sent overseas and saw action in France and Germany. He was also a reconnaissance officer, serving under Gen. George S. Patton Jr. during World War II. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal, once for merit and once for heroic action. Wounded twice in battle, he was also awarded the Purple Heart with cluster.

After spending two years in Army hospitals, he transferred from the infantry to the Quartermaster Corps and was sent to Uijonbu, South Korea, in 1948. On the 28-day troop ship voyage to Korea, he was a "jockey," giving orders of the day with music and jokes, said his wife, Emma Carroll.

It was in Munich, though, that his love for magic was reignited when he saw a magician perform at an officers' club. He joined a magic club in Munich, met master magician Herr Thoma and studied under him. He spent hours at the library devouring books on magic and volunteered as a performer at a home for disabled children in Munich on Saturday mornings.

Later, while stationed in Iran, he worked on materiel programs for the Imperial Iranian Army. While there, he entertained at the palace for the Shah and his queen.

Maj. Carroll completed his tour of duty at the Military District of Washington, where he was deputy quartermaster. He then went to work as an engineer at Arlington National Cemetery, and later as a statistician at the Pentagon in the office of the secretary of defense. He worked with then-Secretary Robert S. McNamara on his cost-reduction program.

After retiring in 1970, he went into magic full time. He was president of Ring 50, the Washington area chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

He also was a member of Toastmasters International, the Knights of Columbus and the Elks.

He enjoyed magic but had to give it up when lugging the equipment got to be too much. He continued doing "close-up" magic whenever anyone visited him at home, his wife said.

"He never left home without balloons in his pockets," she said, adding that he was always ready to make a balloon animal or heart balloon.

In addition to his wife, of Falls Church, survivors include two children, Thomas W. Carroll of Covina, Calif., and Dr. Mary Anne Carroll of Whitmore Lake, Mich.