This isn't really a newsbit about MMORPG, but it is relevant to all of us fantasy lovers. Did you know that 29 years ago today, September 2nd, 1973, Professor and Author J.R.R. Tolkien died? John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or J.R.R as he is better known, was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa on January 3rd, 1892. While still quite young, his family moved to Birmingham, England so that he could attend King Edward VI school. Here he would begin a very lustrious and respected career as a Scholar of ancient languages, dialects, myth, the heroic-tradition, and Story, interests shared by his friend, C.S. Lewis. As an adult, he would hold a professorship at the University of Leeds, and later, a professorship of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford. When Professor Tolkien died, he left behind a legacy we know as The Lord of the Rings set in the fantastic world of Middle Earth. His unbelievably rich and detailed accounts of the races, their languages (he had majored in philology - the study of words and language), geography, lives, and history of this larger-than-life realm has stirred the imagination of millions the world over, and has spawned the 'accepted' norm of fantasy books, art, movies, and games as we know them today. J.R.R. Tolkien is considered by many as the Father of Sci-Fi Fantasy. His minutely-detailed descriptions of Elves, Orcs, Hobbits, Treants, and many others, are the basis for nearly all of our present day vision and use of these fantasy races. When he died of pnemonia at the age of 81, we lost one of the most gifted and talented imaginations the world has ever known. In Memorium - With respect and thanks for many wonderful hours of imagination - J.R.R. Tolkien 1892-1973