James “Bud” Bottoms, an internationally known sculptor, artist and environmental activist best known locally for his iconic Dolphin Family statue in the fountain at the base of Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf, died over the weekend.
Bottoms, 90, reportedly had been in hospice care prior to his death.
A native Californian, Bottoms had lived in Santa Barbara for some 70 years.
His art education began at the Jefferson Machamer School of Art in Santa Monica in 1947, and continued at UC Santa Barbara.
He held several jobs, including as an art teacher at Santa Barbara High School, before becoming a professional sculptor in 1977.
Bottoms created fountains and monuments in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Toba City, Japan; and Dingle, Ireland.
His work also can be found at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach; the former Shriners Hospital for Children in Los Angeles; the Michael Landon Community Center at Malibu Bluffs Park; the Monterey Plaza Hotel; and in Oahu, Hawaii.
Bottoms became an ardent environmental activist in the wake of the 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel, and he was among the founders of the anti-oil organization Get Oil Out! (GOO).
Other local affiliations included Santa Barbara Beautiful and the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara.
Sea mammals were a major focus of his artwork, although “he often combines them with humans to express our essential inter-relationship,” according to his website.
“He was a world class human being,” said Mike Moropoulos, the legendary local football coach who shared a close friendship with Bottoms for more than 60 years.
“He probably had the best sense of humor of anyone I’ve ever known, and he was ultra-talented.”
Former Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider offered her condolences in a Facebook post, saying Bottoms “showed us how art communicates powerful messages about peace, environmental justice and friendship. And he was a fun person to be around.”
Social media included several other tributes and messages of sympathy for Bottoms.
James Alfred Bottoms was born Jan. 28, 1928, in Los Angeles.
He had four sons — Timothy, Joseph, Sam and Ben — who all became actors, and Bottoms himself appeared in the 1978 film, The Other Side of the Mountain: Part II.
In addition to local environmental-protection projects, Bottoms was active with the Earth Island Institute in the early 1990s, when it first established the Save the Dolphins Project. The campaign was created to protect dolphins from tuna netters, according to his website.
It was then he also learned of the dolphin slaughter occurring in Taiji Cove, Japan.
“He believes it is our responsibility to help save marine mammals, and in turn they help save us by educating us about the importance of protecting them and their environment,” according to his website.
Information about survivors and services was pending Monday afternoon.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.