Dharma Beach Bum

Bill Burgess truly made the world a better place. He’s gone now, passing away Jan. 6. He was 68.

My friend, a native New Yorker, was known as the mayor of our neighborhood, holding meetings in front of Eastwood Arms at the corner of Frontage Road and 65th Ave. His podium was a patio table, The Plastic Altar, where Bill would share his wisdom with the locals.

It seemed like everyone knew the man. The driver of roughly every third car to pass The Plastic Altar would beep their horn or wave to Bill.

I first met him and his beautiful, longtime wife, Maxine, about nine years ago, after they moved to Myrtle Beach from Kingstree to be closer to the hotel at which they worked. Bill might have been the mayor, but it was Maxine who slammed the gavel when Bill started to get loud. The loving couple shared everything they had with us.

Bill was humble, dignified, respectful and so damn cool. He rarely mentioned that he was signed by Gene Shue to play for the Washington Bullets, and he didn’t talk too much about sharing basketball courts in greater New York City with the likes of Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Connie Hawkins. Bill wasn’t perfect; his shot at playing in the NBA ended when he was befallen by personal demons.

He had recovered by the time I had the good fortune of meeting him. I can still see him proudly standing by his garden, laughing at the irony. “Look at me. A city boy turned farmer.”

When Bill was still well, he walked nearly every morning to the local convenience store. I swear, y’all. He made walking a spectator sport. At 6 feet 6 inches tall and with perfect posture, he moved with the grace of a gazelle. I asked him a few times if he was afraid to traverse the neighborhood.

“Shi-it. I’m a gansta, Robert,” he said, his green eyes twinkling. “Nobody’s going to mess with me.”

Bill was both shocked and happy to have lived long enough to see our great nation elect its first black president. He sometimes talked of the racism he had encountered in his lifetime. He did so with no bitterness. But he told me that it had taught him restraint.

Once, in a social setting, the redneck, oafish brother of one of the party’s hosts made an off color remark to Bill. Bill and I were sitting on a couch and the oaf had just arrived. I flinched and was about to send the guy to the hospital, but Bill reached over and gently put his hand around my knee.

“It’s okay, Robert,” Bill said quietly. “I’ll handle it.”

Bill never rose from the couch. He used words to put the oaf in his place, commenting about his camouflage outfit and the way his enormous belly protruded from beneath his shirt. I laughed like hell.

Lord, I could write a book about the character of Bill Burgess.

He was such a good man.