Officers

I am honored to have been chosen as the Chapter Director for this coming year. Joanne Williams and I joined Electric City H.O.G. in April of 2004 as soon as we made a decision to build a house in Anderson. I was working a contract in the Madison, WI area at the time so the first time we really rode with the chapter was the 2005 Sweetheart Ride. Once my contract in Wisconsin ended (June, 2005) we moved here and have been active ever since. I have ridden over 400,000 miles during my 40+ years of motorcycling (including over 105,000 on my current 2002 Road King) and have been involved in the management of a number of different motorcycle organizations up to the level of State Director. Over the years, I have been a member in 6 different H.O.G. chapters and have seen a lot of things that work and, also, some that don’t work. I hope to use this past experience to help guide our chapter to have more effective communication with, and be more responsive to, the desires of our membership. This should lead to better membership satisfaction and chapter growth.

You have given me a great team of Primary Officers to work with and most of them bring with them experiences from more than just this chapter. We believe we have selected an outstanding team of Secondary Officers and with all of us working together, we hope to get away from “us telling you” and more towards “you telling us” what you want the chapter to be and do. I’m a great believer in the phrase “God helps those who help themselves”. To that end don’t just come to us with a complaint but bring with it a suggestion that you feel would help to negate that complaint. I am open to any and all suggestions on how we might better serve the membership and will make sure that all of them are carefully and thoroughly considered.

It is my hope that this year will bring us rides and events that will be a good mix of old favorites and new exciting adventures. Keeping in mind that all you need to do to qualify for our annual Active Member status and patch is to participate in one-third of the chapters meetings, rides and events, I have found over the years that the more you participate, the more you get out of it.

Let’s Ride and Have Fun.

I have been a H.O.G. member and AMA member since 1991. After talking my husband Jim into getting a Sportster, a month later we had a new classic. Our youngest was 11 years old and didn't like to leave him on our jaunts so I got a bike 1993 to take him with us. I currently ride a 2003 Fatboy when I am not kicking back on the back of Jim's Ultra. We moved to Mauldin in 2000 from Michigan and enjoy the longer riding season. We are life members of H.O.G. and enjoy our riding family and usually attend at least a couple of rallies a year.

Thanks for having confidence in me to represent you.

Let's RIDE AND HAVE FUN!

I first joined the H.O.G. chapter in 2000. While I rode my first motorcycle in 1980, I didn’t seriously start riding until after our two sons were old enough to fend for themselves on the weekends. My husband, Jay, also rides. We are originally from Rock Hill and moved to Pendleton in 1985.

The area here is perfect for riding and I can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. I love to ride. I love to see new places, make new friends, and spend time with old friends. Riding is my passion and I am excited about sharing this experience with other women.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead of us and I encourage all riders and non-riders, men and women, to come and enjoy the fun and fellowship of Ladies of Harley.

Ride safe!

I will do everything I can to help promote the betterment of The Electric City H.O.G. Chapter. Any suggestions or ideas you have, please let me know.

A little bit about this old man: I was a Security Officer for General Motors and retired in 1990. My first 19 years of life was in Southwest Virginia (Jonesville). The next 31 years was spent in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland). Then on to Southeast Michigan (Oxford) for the next 8 years. I moved back to God's Country after retiring.

I joined our chapter in 1995 and have enjoyed numerous rides; short, overnight, week-ends and week-long journeys with this Chapter. My wife joins in by following in her little red convertible.

My most memorable ride was the Made In America Tour in 1997. We started out here in Anderson and traveled to Nashville, then on to Louisville, Kentucky for a tour of the Louisville Slugger factory. From there we went to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and then on to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Our Chapter got our picture on the front of "Hog Tales" outside of the Louisville Slugger factory.

Since joining our Chapter, I was Director for 1 year, Activities Officer for 5 years, and Road Captain for 5 years. I have been riding motorcycles for the past 43 years but bought my first Harley in 1981. It was a beautiful Low Rider. Some low life wanted it more than I, so he stole it August 10th, 1982. I presently ride a 2006 Ultra Classic.

I look forward to many rides and chapter events with our membership this year. Remember, never ride any faster than your Guardian Angel can fly.

I live in Abbeville County with my husband Roger. We have a daughter, Brittany and a son, Eric. I work at Abbeville County E-911 as a supervisor and Training Officer since 1998. Before going to work with 911, I was the court administrator for the Magistrate Court so I have worked for Abbeville County since 1988.

I don't have a bike of my own, but I ride with friends every chance I get and love to ride! I want to try and explain how I became involved with the Chapter and why I became a member.

I was put on a motorcycle before I could even walk and grew up riding with my daddy, Jimmy Driggers. I first became familiar with our Chapter sometime around 1995 when my parents joined. My daddy loved it and made alot of great friends. For years I watched him go to events and rides, go to meetings when he was not out of town working, and met alot of his friends from the group who would come over to his house for holidays or just for a visit. Anytime I got the chance I would go with him on rides or go to meetings and I learned why he enjoyed it so much, because of the great people he met.

In June 2001, on the way back from a ride with friends to a Tennessee Rally, a car stopped quickly in front of the group and daddy had a wreck on his bike. He was in the hospital for 9 days with a severe head injury and passed away. During those 9 days all those friends he had made in the H.O.G. chapter came to the hospital to visit and sit with us, some for hours and some came every day.

After it was all over, I offered to help out with the newsletter due to the previous editor being ill and later on I was asked to take over the web site which I gladly did. I discovered this was something I could do to contribute to the chapter and all the wonderful people who helped us and I have been doing it ever since.

I really enjoy being a part of the chapter. Now, some of his friends have become my friends. We have alot of great caring people in our Chapter. I want to thank them all for all they do to help others. Someone said at one of the meetings "Harley riders" are the best and friendliest people around. That is very true.

Like my daddy always said "Stay Young, Ride a Harley"

This my fourth year of editing the H.O.G. newsletter for the Electric City H.O.G. chapter. It is boring. Month after month, the only thing in the newsletter is officer’s reports and upcoming activities.

Have you ever been on a new road that got you excited? Write it up and submit it. Your fellow members would like to read about it so they can try it too. Did you take a day trip, or an overnight ride? Where did you go? What did you see? Write it up and send it to me. I’ll put it in the newsletter. Did you find a new Mom & Pop café with the best lunch you ever had? Write it up. It doesn’t have to be eloquent. It could be a paragraph. It doesn’t have to be a 1,000 word essay. (Remember this is a family publication. Keep that bordello report to yourself, but tell me about the ride there and back.)

Let’s get something interesting in the newsletter. Send your submissions to kenklein47@hotmail.com.

I'm looking forward to serving as Chapter Photographer for another year. Although it is sometimes a good deal of work, I've found it leads me to participate very actively in our Chapter's activities, and that makes it all worthwhile. In order to photograph what we do, I get to DO what we do, which is to RIDE and HAVE FUN!

Although I've only been back into riding motorcycles for a few years, I made no mistake in joining Electric City H.O.G. It has given me the opportunity to make many new friends, and to enjoy visiting places I would have never gone to without being part of the Chapter. And to do all this from the saddle of a Harley-Davidson? Life is GOOD!

I encourage you to visit our web-site's photo albums often. I strive to make each album tell the "story" of the ride or event. For those of you who participated; you'll relive the fun we had. For those of you who were unable to come along; you'll see what you missed. For those of you who are not YET members; you'll want to JOIN us!

I hope to catch you in my viewfinder soon!

I first joined the H.O.G. chapter in 2007. Wanda and I took a year off to build our cabin in Liberty and rejoined in March 2009. I ride a 2006 Ultra Classic. I started riding in May of 2005. I enjoy trips of all distance but especially like overnight trips. The overnight rides gives me a chance to make new friends, see new places, and spend time with old friends. My wife, Wanda rides with me.

I am originally from Loris, SC and moved to Liberty in March 2007. We have one son – Lee who lives in Central. Wanda and I retired from the accounting and income tax profession. Now we enjoy a new career in real estate with the national firm of Keller Williams. I like college sports – especially the Clemson Tigers.

I have high expectations for myself as Assistant Director / Road Captain and I want everyone to enjoy being a member of Electric City H.O.G. as much as I do. I’m looking forward to the year ahead of us and I encourage everyone to participate.

Ride safe! Most important of all --- HAVE FUN.

I'm looking forward to a good year with my Harley friends. I've been a member of this club since 1996. In 1997 I bought my first Harley a Heritage Softail. I have so many wonderful memories of rides with this group. The longest ride was to Milwaukee to the 95th anniversary. All I can say is WOW what a ride. I have two daughters and two son-in-laws, they are also members of the club. When my grandchildren were young they would also ride with us.

I will do my best as historian preserving pictures and articles for this years scrap book. Please send anything you have that I can use to me at c_locke41@yahoo.com

Have a Blessed day and ride safe!

Hi! I am Deb Gutcheus. George and I live in Anderson, where we moved to from upstate New York. We were both active in the Sacandaga H.O.G. chapter, where I was Treasurer and George was ‘officer support’, a very important position. We have been members of the Electric City H.O.G. chapter since 1999, and I served as Secretary from 2001 – 2004.

I started riding on the back of my brother’s Norton when I was 15, and I used to ride a Kawasaki 454 LTD, but my daydream was to get a Harley trike. I am now the proud owner of a 2005 Road King trike and you can usually find me out with George, on his 2003 Heritage Softail Classic - I am no longer the backseat driver! We have traveled from Maine to Florida to California on the Harleys, and they have been some of the best times of our lives. We have discovered that riding is not just a pastime, but it is a way of life for us. We both look forward to many more wonderful memories that are to come in the future as we hit the road.

I am honored to serve as your treasurer. I would welcome any suggestions and will attempt to answer any questions that you may have for me. We have a great club, and I’d like to see it grow and prosper in the days to come!

I'm honored to serve you as our chapter safety officer. My duties are to

work with the road captains to provide all of us with a safe, enjoyable

Harley-Davidson riding experience.

My safety background goes back many years. I'm retired from the U.S. Navy, where I was a Nuclear Submarine Medicine Technician. I was responsible for the management and application of all Occupational Health and Safety

Programs onboard submarines which I served. Being a motorcyclist in the

military requires that you attend motorcycle safety courses to register a

motorcycle for riding on base. The military also has some strange

requirements that you wear an orange reflective vest while riding; a real

fashion statement.

I started riding street motorcycles in 1979, but didn't own my first Harley

until 2002, when I bought a Fat Boy. A few years later, I wanted an Ultra

Classic, but couldn't convince my loving wife, Kathy, that I needed 2 bikes.

Thanks to help from many of my H.O.G. chapter brothers and sisters, she agreed

to the purchase. We're now the owners of a 2002 Fat Boy and 2007 Ultra

Classic.

A highlight of my motorcycling life was being selected and profiled as the

'Man of the Month' for November 2005 'Southland's Full Throttle' magazine.

'Southland's Full Throttle' is a monthly publication for motorcycle

enthusiasts, based in Atlanta, GA.

I've been a member of our chapter since 2004. Being able to ride and

fellowship with such amazing friends that share the love of Harley-Davidson

motorcycles is a pleasure.

'Ride Safe and Have Fun'

I recently accepted the new position as the Chaplain of our Chapter. The duties are simple right now as they work up the responsibilities as time goes along. Prayer being first on the list, for meetings, activities and etc.

I am a Licensed Minister. I currently assist my pastor at my home church in various areas. I have been married to my wife Sharon for 34 years, have 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 2 grand nephews that call me papa.

Recently, after 27 years I retired from the USPS. I also retired from the US Army

NG with 25 years. 5 of those served on active duty.

I started riding a Goldwing over 15 years ago. But in 2002 I bought my 2000

Heritage Softail and I've been smiling ever since. In 2004 I signed up with H.O.G. and then 2008 with Electric City. I enjoy riding, going to new places, meeting people and the local Chapter has provided all of these opportunities.

So lets ride.

I moved to McCormick, SC, in 1993 when I retired from teaching in Michigan, where I bought my first motorcycle in 1978 – a Honda Twinstar, all of 185 cc’s. Over the next 10 years I had four more bikes, ending with a shaft-drive Honda Silver Wing. When my husband died unexpectedly in 1989, I flew by myself to Zurich, took a three week motorcycle tour of the Swiss, French, and Italian Alps and then came home and sold the bikes, thinking that those days were behind me. However, I went to Daytona several years ago, saw women riding bikes, said “I can do that,” and came home to buy my first Harley, a 2008 Sportster on which I put 11,000 miles in under two years, wondering why it took me so long to get back in the saddle.

I was an AMA member from 1979 to 1989 and rejoined it two years ago when I joined the Harley Owners Group. I can’t describe how impressed I am with the H.O.G. organization and the wonderful people who comprise the Electric City chapter in particular. My experience with both has been outstanding, and it is with great pleasure that I look forward to being the publicist for the chapter this year. Living so far away, it gives me something I can do remotely to help give back for what I have gained by being a member of this chapter.

My goal this year is to put the chapter activities in the local area newspapers on a regular basis. As a sideline, I will help the L.O.H. Director in creating and publishing the 2010 membership directory. I look forward to both and to the wonderful rides and companionship that I know I will experience with the ECHOGs this year.

Keep the rubber side down.

Carpe Diem

I got my first motorcycle when I was 14 years old. It was a genuine

Harley-Davidson Hummer MOTORCYCLE at a time when all my friends were riding Cushman Eagles, Vespas, and Allstate Crusaire SCOOTERS. During my high school and college years, I shared a BSA 650 Lightning and then a Honda CB350 with my brothers. Then I went 35 years without ever straddling a motorcycle again.

Upon retirement I bought my Sportster, joined Electric City H.O.G., and have

thoroughly enjoyed the many miles over many roads I've put in with the Chapter

and the many friends I've made here. I quickly regained my riding skills

through great mentoring by several of our members.

I'm honored to have been selected to serve as the Chapter's Head Road Captain this year. My most important goal will be to ensure that my team of Road Captains always lead our rides in a safe, consistent, and stress-free manner. Additionally, we will strive to select fun, interesting, and beautiful routes and destinations.

I look forward to enjoying a ride with you soon!

I'm excited and looking forward to another year of riding and working with this active H.O.G. Club. I've been on 2 wheels since 1965 and a H.O.G. member since 2004. We moved to SC several years ago to be closer to our family. Now we enjoy good friends, good weather, good rides, good food, and so much more.

This year the Activities Committee will also plan several 'social activities' that

will include working with other local groups to extend the H.O.G. goodwill into our local community.

Ride Safe -- Have Fun

Ginny and I moved here in June of 2007 after my retirement from PennDOT. The first weekend here we joined Electric City H.O.G.. We've made some great friends and went on some terrific rides. I bought my first bike when I was 19 years old and haven't been without one since. That was forty-six years ago. I met my wife in 1969 just after buying a brand new Triumph Bonneville and she's been riding behind me ever since. I still own the Bonneville, which is in the process of being restored. I bought my first Harley in 1997 and joined the National H.O.G. Group and been a member for twelve years.

I'm looking forward to working with Ray to bring you some interesting and fun activities.