obituary

International Motorcycling Advocate Deb Butitta Dies in Crash

June 4, 2022: International Motorcycling Advocate Deb Butitta Dies in Arizona Crash It is with a heavy heart and a great sense of loss that the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) shares the passing of Deborah Butitta. Deb had been committed to serving and protecting motorcyclists’ rights at the state, federal and international levels during the last four decades. Deb was taken from us due to internal injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash after a truck turned left in front of her on June 3, 2022. Deb was particularly active with ABATE of Arizona, holding many different offices through the years, and in 2001 was selected as the first designated lobbyist for the Arizona Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (AZCMC). Deb was a member of many state motorcyclists’ rights organizations, including the MMA of Arizona. She also served on the MRF Board of Directors for many years and was instrumental in the formation of MRF A&E (Awareness and Education), a 501(c)(3) charitable, non-profit organization created to assist the MRF in providing resources to promote motorcycle awareness and ‘share the road’ programs, along with all aspects of motorcycle safety education including rider training. A highly successful businesswoman in her own right, Deb was extremely well connected, not only in the motorcycling community and industry, but legislatively and in some very influential social circles as well. These relationships were of incredible value to the bikers of Arizona and the entire country. Deb’s accolades and awards are many, including being inducted into the MRF Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Sturgis Hall of Fame and Museum in 2021. Deb is a past winner of the MRF President’s Cup (2003), the MRF Founder’s Award (2017), and the MRF Lifetime Achievement Award (2020). Among her many other duties, Deb served as the MRF’s State Representative for

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Mike Egan Story 1943-2021

Mr. Big Candy Finds Motorcycle Nirvana by Bandit I worked with Mike and his wife Patty for about 40 years covering his restorations, working with him on project bikes such as the Dicey Knucklehead which I still have. Hell, I made a deal to retrieve a Panhead from a brother partially because it held a Linkert Carb rebuilt by Mike Egan. I owned a 1931 VL for 25 or so years, which was owned by Lou Kimzey, the original Publisher and Editor of Easyriders Magazine. It was restored by Mike Egan, and I was offered the matching sidecar, which I mistakenly turned down. As Mike would say, “It’s worth Big Candy.” CLICK HERE To Read this Feature on a Legendary Personality in Motorcycle Industry. Join the Cantina – Click Here to Subscribe & Support Motorcycling Legacy of America

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MRF Board Member Jim “Legs” Korte, Passes Away

May 28th, 2021 Jim “Legs” Korte, former State Coordinator for ABATE of Illinois and member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Board of Directors, passed away on May 28th after a short illness. He was born April 27, 1950. Legs was very passionate about motorcyclists’ rights and held numerous positions in many organizations. He was a big man and cut a wide swath everywhere he went, in everything he did. He served his country honorably in the U.S. Navy where he was part of the Navy Honor Guard for four years and participated in the burial of several U.S. Presidents. It was actually while stationed in D.C. that he got a Triumph 650 and started riding. After his military service, he returned to Trenton, Illinois to farm with his father Otto Korte. He also spent 30 years working for the Illinois State Police. Legs was a gentle giant and made friends everywhere he went. He and his wife Paulette, a legend in the motorcycling community herself, have countless friends and extended family throughout the biker world nationwide that they enjoyed riding with and visiting. In addition to his wife of 13 years, Legs is survived by his daughter Rachel Korte (Tommie), Paulette’s daughter Nikki Jarvis (Brian), four grown grand-children and a sister, Jane Weaver (Bob) in Connecticut. The family wishes for privacy at this time and we ask that you honor that request. Legs leaves large shoes to be filled, figuratively and literally. His dry wit, common sense, upstanding character and the desire to always do the right thing will be greatly missed by all. Ride in Peace Legs. A memorial is tentatively planned for Saturday June 5th in Illinois. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to ABATE of Illinois, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, or the

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American racing champion Dick Mann passes away

from https://www.roadracingworld.com Racing Legend Dick Mann passes away – from a press release issued By American Motorcyclist Association AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and Racing Legend Dick Mann Passes Mann, a two-time AMA Grand National Champion, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Dick “Bugsy” Mann, one of the most versatile racers to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle, passed away on April 26 at the age of 86. Mr. Mann, born June 13, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a two-time AMA Grand National Champion (1963 and 1971), and became best known for being the first person to achieve a motorcycle racing Grand Slam, which involved winning across all five types of circuits included in the Grand National Championship: road racing, TT, short track, half-mile and mile. When he retired from racing in 1974, Mann had 24 national victories, which — at the time — placed him second in all-time wins within the AMA Grand National Series. While Mann got his racing start in scrambles, he soon got hooked on turning left on dirt ovals, and after some time learning his trade, headed to the professional racing circuit in 1954, turning expert in 1955. He achieved his first national win at the Peoria TT in 1959, quickly establishing himself as an elite racer in the series. Mann also helped pioneer the sport of motocross in the U.S., competing in several of the early AMA professional motocross races in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps Mann’s most fulfilling national win was his victory in the 1970 Daytona 200 aboard the then-new Honda CB750. He’d been racing the Daytona 200 for 15 years and finished second three times, and in 1970 finally got to the top step of the podium, holding off rising

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