Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

'GOd hath not promised Shes always blue, Flower-strewn pathways All our live through; God hath not promised Sun without ain, Joy without sorrow, Peace without ain. "But God hath promised Strength for e day, Rest for the labor, Light for the ay; Grace for the trials, Help from bove,. Unfailing sympathy, Undying ove..." So read the tribute inscribed in the emorial card that acknowledged the assing of Willord A. Boyce, a man who evoted his life to motorcycling. As his ribute poem so aptly stated, Bill rode he highs and lows of life, yet always aintained a loving, supportive attitude hat reinforced and motivated those ound him. He started his two-wheeled ove affair as a youngster in Daytona, hio, and nothing could deter his puruit of the sport - even two tours of duty or the U.S. Navy in World War II and he Korean conflict. He priori tized otorcycles; motorcycle racers, and for large part of his life was a devoted ployee of the American Motorcyclist ssociation. Bill served as an AMA refree from 1959 to 1971, and was wellown throughout the United States. "One of the biggest lessons Bill Boyce ver taught me was that a good AMA eferee always makes his decisions right ut of the rule book," said ·longtime refree Ron Denny at Boyce's funeral. "That way, you're fair to everyone, and ou never have to recall why you made special exception for a specific rider." Bill went on to a take a full-time position with the AMA in 1971 and later moved on to be director of professional competition. During that era, Boyce took great pride in working for the AMA, and in getting the job done - no matter what it took. "1 can remember getting back from a dirt track in the east, pulling into the AMA parking lot and hooking up the old Camel road race trailer to my van," Boyce would recall with a big srnile. "I'd pull all the way out to Laguna Seca, help put on the race, and then pack every- thing back into the trailer. I'd drive like crazy and push to get back to Ohio, so that 1 could g t a day in the office before I took off for the next event!" In most cases, Bill did like to do it his way - all the way - but even he attested that he wasn't capable of going it alone. "I remember one time I had to tell Bill that I wasn't going to go to any more races," recalled Ann, Bill's wife. "I told him that he had yelled at me in front of some other people, and I wasn't going to take it. Bill looked over at me and said, 'Well, then 1 guess I'm quitting, too, because [ can't do it without you.' We got in the van and traveled home together after tha t." Boyce loved telling numerous stories from the "old days." He also kept photos and files nearby, available for anyone who was interested. I'd always enjoy it when visitors came to the AMA offices, so that I could call them ov~r to Boyce for a quick tale. "One time 1 was at the Houston Astrodome, getting into a pretty good argument with a rider," Boyce would tell us. "One minute [ was arguing, and the next I }Vas picking myself up off the floor. That rider had knocked me out cold, and my biggest concern was finding my glasses, so 1 could get back to work. Do ya follow me?" Bill ended almost every questiol'l, comment and story with, "Do ya follow me?" We loved the way that guy talked. Actually, we kept a sort of top-secret notebook, filled with "Boyce-isms" that Bill created over the years. He had his own way of constructing vowels and consonants, so that his own custom terminology worked best. His signature "Okey Doakle" was another prime signoff, when you knew Bill was about to terminate a phone call. Our favorite was Bill's version of the terminology for the process of qualifying a motorcycle for racli! competition. It wasn't homologation; in correct Boyce-ism, one Simply ;"'1lOUtogolated" . a bike to get it iapproved, as in, "Ya need to get that / Harley homogolated, or it won't get out on the r ce traCk." After a few months of 30 YEARS AGO... APRIL 1, 1969 he 9500 fans who cashed in the'ir r ilrt11e'Cks to wa tch the 1969 Daytona 200 were not disappointed, as Cal Rayborn (H-D) outrode and outlasted the cometition to score his second win in a row aboard his factory KR750. Ron Grant (Suz) finished second, and Mike Duff (Yam) was third. Yvon DuHamel was expected. to take the win, but his Yamaha holed a piston on lap 21, and he was ultimately credited with 42nd place... John Penton won .the Alligator Endtiro... California speedway fans got to watch Steve Bast (Eso) win every race that .he entered, including the Trophy Dash and the A main event at the Whiteman Stadium opener in Pacoima... 'Wayne Hosaka was a two-class winner at the South Bay Speedway short track. Hosaka won the 250cc Expert class aboard his Kawasaki, and he also won the 100cc Expert class aboard a Hodaka. T working with Bill, s pretty sure he had it right. I was saying homogola te, and so were others in the office. As the years passed by, Boyce made his best efforts to retire, but his desire to keep contributing kept him coming back to the AMA. I can remember a time that Ed Youngblood refused to throw any more retirement parties for Boyce, as he always found some opportune reason to unretire and continue wlth AMA pro racing. For the past nine years, Bill was a part-time consultant to the AMA and worked mostly with the hillclimb and speedway business. However, there weren't many situations where Boyce couldn't contribute valuable input, for in the AMA racing business, he had done it all. Over the past year, Bill had been having medical problems, and was adjusting medication to get his heart rate corrected. He was checked into a local hospital at one point, and while visiting him there, it became clear that Bill Boyce couldn't be defeated. He shared no bitterness or self-pity, but .only wanted to talk about how he was only days away from getting back up on his feet and back to motorcycling. Bill taught me and all of us at the AMA - how to possess a manner and attitude that always anchored on the positive side, always focused on how to take care of our sport and continue to make it better. It wasn't until his funeral that we learned Bill had, in his usual meticulous style, prepared for his own death. He had Ann arrange a meeting with a pastor to discuss what his funeral should entail, and Boyce wanted it clear that a celebration was in order. Bill wanted his friends and business associates to acknowledge the fu!'l life he' had enjoyed, and to foC!1S on what h"d been accomplished for motorcycling. In the end, the man with a very big heart had a heart that just plain expired. Bill's wife found him in his farniliar easy chair, and instead of just napping, Bill had moved on to other business - of the eternal nature. Bill's send-off was absolutely appropriate for his place in life: a Harley XR750 was standing nearby among a sea of flowers, and 'various club members from the Dayton MC were paying their respects. One individual mentioned that he was the numberone ranked Dayton MC club member, with over 50 years of service; second on the longevity Jist was none other than Boyce. A checkered flag was placed next to Bill's casket, which to me signified he was on the cool-down lap, having made the final finish. Bill lay in the center of all the activity, peaceful, at rest, neatly dressed with a red AMA tie topping off his suit. . What really pressed on· my conscience while at the funeral was an overall concern for the future. Where will the Bill Boyces of the next generation come from? A recent business publication stated that modern career professionals might change jobs 19 times in their careers. That's in sharp contrast to a man like Boyce, who held one lifelong assignment, totally in alignment with the AMA's mission statement: to pursue, promote and protect the interests of motorcyclists. He was caring, loved to help, and was a personal inspiration to me when times became controversial and stressful. Bill woula have wanted us all to continue with our own contributions to motorcycling, utilizing the strengths and abilities we can bring forward. Using Boyce for an example, we'll need to keep an upbeat attitude, and stop to help others as part of our busy lives. And we'll never really look toward retiring, but instead think of ways to stay active and involved during our twilight years. Sound easy? Heck, no, but Bill set- those standards and lived his life by those standards. "If there's an Indian or Harley in heaven, Bill has found it by now," said Pastor Lowell Martindale in his remarks at Bill's ~eral service. "He's taking the final victory lap, and waving the checkered flag. Our friend, Bill Boyce, has finally gone home." Rest well, good friend, Bill. We all loved you very much. _ 20 YEARS AGO... MAACH 28, 1979 10 YEARS AGO... MARCH 22, 1989 "Hurricane" dev-ilstated the B'Puston Astrodome when the AMA SUil~r cross Series headcp, to Texas after Day-' tona Bike Week '79. Bob Hannah (Yam) decimated the troops on both Friday and Saturday night. Hannah would leave Houston with a 58-point lead in the series standings. . Steve Wise (Hon) and Mike Bell C'l' am) finished second and third, respectively, on both njghts... A big scare came from the Carter administration when it was annoUQced that there was a movemen.t afoot to close gas stations from Friday noon to Sunday midnight in an attem£.t. to combat rising oil prices. 'F~e move could have-destroyed motorcycle racing actiWtX., and the indust;y was girding itself for. war... We ra~' f~atUre stofJI on t,he history of BMW singles;starting wiiINPe R2 of 1950... Believe it or not, our Championshl ~duro series of stories continued, as We offered you ''''I insight as to what to expect when you reached a checkpoint ohn Ashmead (Hon) pulled off an upset win in the Daytona 200, crossing the line aboard a 3-yearold privateer Honda Interceptor. Jamie James (Suz) finished second, with Kevin Rentzell (Suz) third... Jeff Stanton (Hon) scored his second straight Daytona Supercross win, finishing ahead of Jeff Ward (Kaw) and Mike LaRocco (Yam). Damon Bradshaw (Yam) topped Mike Kiedrowski (Hon) and Denny Stephenson (Yam) in the 125cc main event... Steve Aseltine (W-R) notched a thrilling victary in Daytona Short Track when he passed Chris Carr (H-D) off tum four and beat him to the checkered flag. Scott Pearson (Hon) was third. The race capped. off his third straight main-event win at the stadium in as many evenings... J~hn Kocinski (Yam) won the International Lightweight race for ~he AMA 250cc GP machines as well as the 600cc Supersport race at Daytona ... Joey Hopkins (Kaw) overalled the Alligator Enduro. e- A J 10 I II III I!II II :ii " • • §! .... "' ~ :I 71

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