A Banking Mystery

Well here's a new one: I got one of those applications in the mail a few days ago from Chase Bank to apply for a business credit card, addressed to my business, Mitch Williams Magic Productions. That's nothing new, as I get these all the time. But this wasn't addressed to me, it was addressed to "Mr. Ben Chavez"!... at my business and address.

For those of you who don't know, Ben Chavez was the founder of the Chavez School of Manual Dexterity and Prestidigitation, from which I graduated in 1981, under the tutelage of Neil Foster. Ben was Neil's teacher and mentor, as Neil was mine. I never met Ben, as he passed away in 1962.

So how this rather obscure connection could have found its way into a mailing list used by one of the biggest banks in the country is a bit of a mystery, especially since I don't currently have any direct relationship with the Chavez School. After Neil passed away in 1988, his branch of the Chavez school was taken over by Chris Jakway, another of Neil's students. It's been a few years since Chris and I have spoken to one another.

So I'm wondering if I should be concerned. In a world where every bit of information on us is being shared by the marketing divisions of big corporations left and right, how do we know when something weird is going on? Well, in this case, I do know that something very weird is going on, I just don't know what or how, or whether it's a reason to be worried.

Or maybe Ben and Neil are just saying, "Hi, and keep up the good work!", from beyond. It's just the sort of practical joke that Neil would love to play.

So if anyone can shed some light on this mystery, I'd appreciate it.