Wayne Bartholomew turns 59 today. "Rabbit just made the whole show bigger," Bill Delaney said, and it's so true. Bugs convinced himself that our little fringe sport is a grand, bigger-than-life, high-adventure, semi-magical pursuit. Was so convinced, in fact, and so enthusiastic, that he made everybody around him believe it too. Rabbit journeyed to his world like Bilbo Baggins trekking through the Misty Mountains. To be in Rabbit's presence, during his prime—as a surfer and as a storyteller—was to be nearly helpless against his pull. You were thrilled just to be in the same room as him; you were honored to be a minor retainer in his romantic, dragon-filled Land of Surfing.

Happy Birthday Rabbit. Surfing gave you a lot. You gave back tenfold.

SALUTE TO WAYNE BARTHOLOMEW

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