To the Editor:
We called him “flipper.” That was his respected nickname.
Ray was a member of the Wildwoods surfing community during the late 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and on. He was a familiar face, surfing at the Wildwood Crest fishing pier anytime the surf was “up.”
I considered Ray to be one of the best surfers in Cape May County during that era. His love of surfing was very high.
When he was on a good breaking wave and zooming across its face, you could hear his distinctive laugh and voice as he celebrated the ride. No wave was too big. During the storm surf, Ray was out.
I would venture to say “Flipper” is a big part of the Wildwood Crest surfing history and surely that of the Wildwood Crest fishing pier, where many of us surfed and hung out during that era.
I am saddened to hear he has passed away, but we all must take our last wave sometime or another.
I know I am not alone in remembering Ray’s love of surfing and his tremendous skill of performing the “art” of surfing the waves. His humor, laugh and comments gave us many laughs, as we sat on our boards, watching for the next “set” to come in.
You are not forgotten “Flipper.” May God bless you and your family.
For those young surfers of our area, put this tribute out to others so Ray is remembered and included in our surfing history here in Cape May County.
