Blue  Knights New York  Chapter XIV 
 2013
News letter

Blue Knights New York Chapter XIV

Awards

First things first; when we received the 2013 renewal package, included was a proposal that was passed by the International Board in 2008 that would honor Blue Knights who have had 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of continuous service. I researched our members and sent a request for recognition for those members who qualified.

With that in mind, Chapter XIV respectfully requests that the following members attend the next meeting to receive a presentation and be recognized for their membership:

Ron Schwandt
Ed Schafer
Dawn Thackeray
Anthony Tucci
James Van Houten

Carl Raymo was honored for his service at the February meeting.

2013 Membership Cards

The 2013 membership cards will be sent with this newsletter for any member who has not received them and have paid their 2013 dues.

Insurance

Every Blue Knight is covered by an accidental death and dismemberment policy through the International in the amount of $3,000. If you fill out a beneficiary card, the person that you designate will receive the funds upon a claim. If you do not fill out a beneficiary card, the funds will go to your estate. Keep in mind that if you send in a beneficiary card, you will probably be contacted by someone attempting to sell you additional insurance. If you fill out the card and someone does call you, try to get their name and call back number so we can notify the International. They should not be soliciting you.
This insurance was announced at the Fall Convention in 2011 and the last numbers that I heard were that there were fourteen claims submitted so far.

Blue Knight Special Fund

Separate and distinct from the accidental death and dismemberment policy is the Special Fund.

The Safety Committee requests that all accidents be reported by members using the Online Accident Reporting System (O.A.R.S.)

In addition, a member may request funds from the Blue Knight Special Fund if they were enroute to, attending or returning from a Blue Knight sanctioned event. That would be the type of event listed on the TSC ride schedule.

These funds could be claimed for family expenses, member expenses i.e. emergency transportation to hospital or home, waiting expenses or towing expenses.

Those of you online can go to the International site, log on to the members only section and go to the Safety Committee on the right hand side for more info.

Rides

I’m including the updated TSC ride schedule with this newsletter and also keep in mind the following event:

May 18th 0800 hours starting at the Beacon Elks, the Sgt. Kenny Rain Memorial Ride. Further details will be on the updated ride schedules.

Take A Chance

Rolling Thunder is selling raffle tickets, proceeds to benefit American Veterans, our troops and their families.
Grand Prize is a 2013 Harley Davidson FLHTK Electra Glide Ultra Limited. The bike has some phenomenal graphics of our troops.
Contact Carl Raymo for tickets, 1 chance, $10.

Police Week

May 12 -17, 2013, May 12th is the Law Ride.          Accomodations:

Best Western Mt Vernon
8751 Richmond Hwy
Alexandria, VA
(703) 360-1300

May 14th is a free COPSRUN luncheon, you have to contact Liz Cook at NY XVIII to attend.

Reminder

For those members with Internet access, go to http://www.blueknights.org/
And click on the ‘Members Only’ button in the upper left corner. A smaller box will come up asking for Username and Password.

• Your Username is your BK membership number from your membership card.
• Your Password is your last name all in UPPER CASE LETTERS.

You then have access to the International site for meeting minutes, forms and after the first of the year, a web site of each member running for Intl Office.

Speaking of Meetings….

For those of you with GPS, out next meeting will be held at 345 Windsor Hwy, New Windsor, NY 12553. The name at the location is Louie’s Driving School and the building is directly north of the Coach Diner on route 32 (Windsor Hwy) in New Windsor. The owner of the business is a retired police officer who offered up his place, free of charge, to conduct our meetings and also provide storage.

For Sale

Ed Shafer is selling  a 1990 Kompact Kamp Utility trailer. Ed says, “I am asking $800.00, for a brother Blue Knight I will drop the price – make a reasonable offer.” This trailer will go behind a motorcycle or small car. Contact Ed Shafer if interested 845-412-5356. Email recipients of this newsletter will have an attachment to open with photos of the trailer.

Pistol Permit F.O.I.L. Exemption

I have these forms available from Greg Pricoli & FOP Lodge #957. Once the form is submitted, info regarding your pistol permit cannot be released to the media or anyone else except LE. Think the Rockland Journal News and their recent interactive map of registered gun owners. Contact me or Greg for a form.

                                     

How did the Blue Knights get started?

Historical Notes from the memory of Chuck Shuman, Blue Knights International President (1974-75), as told to Peter Domiziano, Blue Knights International Secretary (2009-10), on October 21, 2009 .

IN THE BEGINNING:
One day in 1974, Ed Gallant & Urban Dyer had just come back from a motorcycle ride and went to the Black Knight Restaurant in Brewer Maine. They talked about getting a group of police motorcycle people together and starting something up in the area to ride together. They decided to call me (Chuck Shuman) as I was on duty, a sergeant, and like they said, a good speaker and promoter to see what I thought of the idea
I met them for coffee and told them I thought it was a great idea. They asked me to help and I told them I didn't know how to ride a motorcycle and didn't have a motorcycle license - NO PROBLEM - let's get started! Urban took me out on the back roads. I bought a Yamaha 250 and he taught me how to ride.

THE MEETING:
The three of us put posters around the area police and sheriff's offices to see if anyone was interested in doing this. We planned a meeting at Brewer Police Department. Besides me, seven showed up: Ed Gallant, Wayne LeBree, Mike Hall, Doug Minor (dec), Joel Rudom (dec), Chuck Gessner (dec), and Bill Robinson (dec). We talked and set up another meeting and that's how we got started. Twenty-three showed at the second meeting from the Sheriff's Office, Probation Dept., Bangor and Brewer Police Departments.

ORGANIZATION:
We knew we had to have by-laws and I tried in vain to find out how other clubs got started. At the third meeting, we decided we needed bylaws and I checked with the District Attorney and he added that we needed to be a non-profit corporation. We decided to first have an election. I was a big mouth and speaker and was elected the first president. I appointed a committee to draw up bylaws and we were off and running. By then I had my motorcycle license! The rest of the elections were; Vice President Bill Robinson, Secretary Joel Rudom, Treasurer Ed Gallant, with the Board of Directors being Mike Hall, Chuck Gessner, and Wayne LeBree.

IDENTITY:
We next needed a name. Chief Dave Koman of the Brewer Police Department suggested Blue Knights as it was a popular police Television show starring George Kennedy. We decided we needed a Logo. Ed Gallant found an old Interstate 95 sign which was stored in the Brewer PD property locker. I had sent away for a motorcycle insignia that was commonly worn by Police Motor Officers which was a winged motorcycle wheel. I gave it, along with the sign to Sgt. John Bryant who was the police artist for Brewer Maine and asked him to draw a knight on top of the wheel insignia and put it in the I95 sign. Our logo was born!

JACKET:
I decided I needed a jacket while riding and went to a sporting goods store and found a light blue (very similar to what the vests are today) and white long sleeve warm-up jacket for $12.95. My wife Chris sewed the new logo patch on it and it was accepted as our Blue Knights Club Jacket.

THE MOTTO:
We were on our first ride as a club and I was the lead bike of the nineteen riding. We were going to Calais Maine about 90 miles from Bangor . While I was riding I kept looking in my rearview mirror and saw how proud and straight the guys were riding. So I started ending all our mail with "Ride with Pride". The motto caught on and that's how for nearly thirty-six years it has stuck. I am very proud of that!

GROWTH:
I was the public relations man for the Brewer Police Department and a sergeant at the time. We had a dinner ride to the Lucerne Inn and I invited the news and T.V. to come. The story was picked up by the UPI and AP and published all over the United States !

One day in September, I was called off patrol to meet with two police officers from Massachusetts who had read about the club: Dick Delesdernier, a Massachusetts State Police Officer and John Darraba, a Brockton Police Officer. It happened that they showed up on the same date as our meeting and attended. They were so impressed they stayed with me for two more days then returned to Massachusetts and spread the word.

I, Wayne LeBree, and Ed Gallant were invited down to a meeting at the Brockton Massachusetts Police Department. They had seventy-four officers from different parts of Massachusetts at the meeting and I told them what we had done. When we left, the seventy-four had signed up and went on to be MA I until they went on to form their own chapters around Massachusetts . By the way, I, Wayne and ED had done all this on our own money. We did not have a treasury. We then went to Newington Connecticut and started a Chapter there at a meeting.
The mail started to flow in from all over the US and Canada to me and checks and many questions on how to start chapters in different areas. With my two daughters, Lori and Vicki, I answered every letter from what was our first office, the basement of my house in Brewer Maine.

CONVENTION:
We planned our first convention at Squaw Mountain Inn in Greenville Maine in July of 1975. We didn't know what to expect. I floated a personal note with the bank for $1,000.00 and had t-shirts and sweatshirts made with our logo. We sold them out in one and one-half days and had many more orders!. We had one hundred seventy police motorcycle blue Knights and their families attend. It was a great time. A couple from Washington State , the Beems rode all the way. Also an editor for Road Rider magazine, Roger Hull showed up and hired a photographer to do a big story which was published in his magazine.

OVERALL:
This was started as a family club for police officers and I hope it stays that way. Blue was always our color, for vests, helmets, and whatever. I don't know to this day how some changed to Black. We are the Blue Knights and remain Proud. I am just a seventy-three year old guy, sitting back and watching the club grow. For three of us who spent all our grocery money to start this organization, it has come a long way from my basement to a million dollar entity with office workers. I have enjoyed meeting new friends from around the world as you know and will be on the sidelines as well as Wayne if you need anything. I had sent my original Blue Knight jacket to the International office several years ago but have asked them to return it to me so that we can get pictures and let everyone see what was the start.

The rest as they say is history.

I thought the above bit of history was interesting. With the International elections coming up, maybe we need to get back to basics. Riding and having a good time. Just my humble opinion.

Fraternally,
Paul