Erik Magnuson, president of Magnum Companies, passed away on November 30, 2006. A memorial service has been set for Sunday, December 10, from 2:00-5:00pm at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA. Erik is survived by his wife, Linda; children, Ingrid and Todd Finch; sister Pamela and brothers Peter, Philip and Michael who love him dearly and will miss him.
Erik was born in New Bedford, MA, grew up on Chapoquoit Island in West Falmouth, MA, and spent many summers in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Son of Dr. Paul Magnuson and Dorothy Floyd Magnuson, Erik was one of five siblings, (Peter, Pamela, Philip, and Michael). In his childhood years Erik became an avid mountain hiker and skier, as a young teen he excelled in competitive sailing on Cape Cod and in his high school and college years was a student of the classics and photography. Throughout his entire life he was a great lover of baseball and bluegrass. His first job while in high school was at the Saconesset Homestead, an early Cape Cod farm museum in West Falmouth, where he had his first exposure to museum work. Erik graduated from Lawrence High School in Falmouth with Honors and earned a degree in classical archeology at New York University.
Erik’s college years included a rich range of endeavors and adventures, which included archeological digs in Europe, the Woodstock Festival of 1969, studies in photography and political activism. Following college, he joined a college roommate in Atlanta to work on a documentary film production team and then ventured into theater set construction, eventually becoming a technical director at the Alliance Theater. In 1979, he met his wife Linda and they co-founded The Magnum Companies, Ltd. which grew into a full service production company, specializing in school, theater and museum lighting. He and Linda moved to Candler Park, with stepson Todd Finch, where daughter Ingrid was born. Most recently Erik did the lighting design for the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky and the Pottery Museum in Sautee, Georgia.
As his career and Magnum developed, the company grew to a 16 person establishment. He became a valued member of the Entertainment Services & Technology Association (ESTA) over the years, where he has served as Secretary since 1989. As the company and his career grew, one thing stayed the same and that was Erik’s firm desire and belief to give back to the community that gave to him. Notable recognition of this was in 1998, when Erik won the Atlanta ISES Chapter Dale Riggins Humanitarian award.
“Erik's contributions to the association are immeasurable,” says Lori Rubinstein, ESTA’s executive director. “He will be greatly missed by all of us. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Linda, his son Todd and daughter Ingrid, and with the staff of The Magnum Companies.”
Throughout his life Erik had a special love for the mountains and woods of Northern New Hampshire where he had hiked and camped with his family and friends from earliest childhood and where the Magnuson family still shares a home in Franconia.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Behind the Scenes or the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
In addition, Beverly Inglesby is asking for people to send reminiscences of Erik to her for publication in Protocol. Please email them to protocol@esta.org.
Personal cards and notes should be sent to Linda Magnuson at:
The Magnum Companies, Ltd.
170-A Ottley Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30324.