Ashleigh Brilliant Celebrates 80th Birthday

Brilliant (pictured, left), rang in his 80th birthday on Monday surrounded by family, friends, and fans at Franceschi Park. Brilliant ​— ​known for his 10,000-plus “Pot-Shots,” humor- and wisdom-filled postcards of 17 words or less that have adorned everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs and attracted worldwide appreciation ​— ​received a poem from longtime fan Bud Stuart and finally got to meet David Nielsen, an equally longtime fan, friend, and occasional legal counsel who traveled all the way from Omaha, Nebraska, for the celebration. When asked which of his “Pot-Shots” was most applicable to his 40 years as a Santa Barbara resident, Brilliant said one in particular stood out: “Once the whole world was beautiful. Now, there’s only Santa Barbara.”