The story of Siney Radner's lifelong passion for magic, the art of escape, and uncovering rigged gambling escapades continued in the 1970s and beyond. One of the many treasures Sid Radner possessed was Houdini's milk can, used in his escape routine, one where his secret may never be discovered.
In 1973, Sid Radner was one of three people to receive awards from the New England Commissioner of the United States Volleyball Association. The award was in appreciation of their work with Holyoke's Volleyball Hall of Fame. Sid Radner was later instrumental in planning for the new Volleyball Hall of Fame at its Heritage Park location.
Sid Radner attended the annual Halloween seance intended to make contact with Houdini through a medium. The seance was held on the anniversary of Houdini's death at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Sid Radner had attended several of these events since 1946, and all had been unsuccessful in communicating with the deceased legend. In 1974, representatives from Time Magazine and television networks CBC, NBC, and Canadian networks attended the Niagara Falls seance.
Sid Radner was also a master at debunking stories from those who claimed to know Houdini's escape secrets or who told of mysterious codes that revealed them.
In 1977, some of Houdini's artifacts were on display at Baystate West Mall (now Tower Square) in downtown Springfield. In 1982, a similar exhibit was unveiled at Holyoke's Wistariahurst Museum.
By this time, Sid Radner had built quite a résumé. He had worked for the FBI, the Army's Criminal Investigation Unit, the states of Ohio and Massachusetts, and police departments in Los Angeles, Chicago, Buffalo, and Dallas. State lotteries were becoming very popular and ripe for cheaters, another area where Sid Radner's skills could thwart them.
Sid Radner was an opponent of casino gambling coming to Massachusetts. Based on his vast experience, he believed the opportunities for fraud, corruption, cheating, and increased crime were too great a price to pay.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
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