80!!! It seems that when you turn 80, instead of saying 'Happy Birthday, we should say, 'Congratulations!' #Welldone, Bruce-Oyster's biggest fan, 'GQ Effect, showroom extraordinaire, and most importantly, 'Papa!"
Happy 80th! The world is better with you in it. Below is an homage from years ago (updated) that does this man a sliver of justice.
The Gambler...The man that taught us to "bet on ourselves" 27 years ago. From the very beginning, no one believed in Oyster like this remarkable person...Shannen's (that's me!) father, Bruce. It almost makes sense now...but the challenges of making bamboo fly rods for a living in the 90s was absurd. A lot of parental units tell their children to "be happy" and "do what you love" until life gets in the way and worry takes the place of such whimsy. However, my daddy told me from childhood to go with my heart at all costs and "be a forest ranger". And while it may have been an obscure concept for my 9-year-old self, I knew what he meant. After the often overrated obligatory post-college "self examination" phase of early adulthood...while most of our peers peeled off for safer corporate careers...we moved forward with our gut and "bet on ourselves" even in the most bizarre of circumstances. We know wholeheartedly that Oyster would not be the same if it were not for Bruce...our resident director of "all things GQ" and most importantly, the man that educated us that the art of "speculation" is a lifestyle and to never fold them.