“This is my second career. I decided to do this after I retired. I just love working with kids. It’s a rewarding, fulfilling thing for me to do. It’s what I do full time now. I sold surgical equipment for trauma. That was a 365-day job. I did that for 20 years. It was rewarding. It was fun, but it wears on you after a while, and I needed to do something that was more fun and more rewarding, where I was giving back. There’s only so long you can go without vacations and the stress. Now, I get time off.  In the summertime, I’m primarily in the libraries. During the school year, I work doing character education programs, by doing magic shows with the puppet, and I do reading programs for older grades using magic and puppetry. Just follow your dream. Just keep working. Don’t give up. That’s a key thing that I tell everybody in all my character ed programs. The key is don’t ever give up. You keep going and it will work.” – Larry Darnell of Birmingham

Darnell is known as “Mr. Larry” of Mr. Larry’s Magic Shows.

Larry Darnell is known as Mr. Larry by children and the young at heart. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.