Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1531445
VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P109 self-importance are Carter family traits that weren't passed along solely to the 39th president. Though she kept it to herself that day, Gloria Carter had a story to tell, a story of heartache and even physical pain, inflicted by her first husband. That marriage was annulled, but the son that was born from that union lived a life of chronic mental illness, often disappearing for days at a time, causing his mother a unique form of angst that cannot be known, except by other par - ents who have experienced this same sort of frightening grief. The dysfunction in his life would stretch on for decades and Gloria did not even see her son in person for the final 21 years of her life. Enter Walter Guy Spann, Glo - ria's second (and final) husband, a farmer whom she married in 1950. Spann, who was sporting brand-spankin' new bib overalls for the CN visit, was happy to show off his own Harley-David - son to the CN crew, though he declined to be photographed. "Nope," he said, "no pictures." When a hard-working, Harley- riding farmer in his OshKosh (by gosh) overalls says no, it is likely that Van Voorhis, a skilled shooter, did not ask again. In early '77, Gloria Carter was the owner of a bright orange Honda 500, adorned with but - terflies on the fuel tank and a peace sign incorporated into the sissybar, a decorative statement that elicited a "damned commie" putdown from an apparent hater of peace. She would later ride her own Harley-Davidson, and she and Walter made regular trips to Daytona. Like her brother, she was not timid about standing up for her beliefs. Carter attended numer - ous events to speak out against helmet laws and once confront- ed a park administrator about his "no motorcycles allowed" sign. The rule maker assured her that she and Walter would be wel- comed; the sign, he said, was for "those other riders," which Gloria interpreted as riders who wore "colors." Ne'er-do-wells, who, of course, are advertising their nefariousness with club gear. Gloria responded by returning to the park, fully attired in "colors" of her own, and soon after, all discriminatory signs were re - moved from the park grounds. Exclusion, discrimination and segregation weren't going to be tolerated by the Carter siblings, whether it involved something not so serious, i.e., motorcycling jackets or, something of greater importance—say, the color of one's skin. In 1964, Carter stepped away from the Baptist Church she had been attending when the church voted against lifting its ban on allowing Blacks to worship. Gloria and Walter extended their kindness to all motorcy- clists. Riders passing through the area were invited to bunk in the couple's farmhouse; Walter even built a four-holer (that's an outhouse, for you peace-loving, commie city folk) for their riding guests. As president, Jimmy Carter had a somewhat complicated relationship with the motorcycle industry, with Cycle News report- ing that the Carter administra- tion was hellbent on banishing mean motor scooters from some public lands, including the desert. But there was no doubt- ing his sister's love for the sport. She was one of the first women to be inducted into Harley-David- son's 100,000 Mile Club and she was also named Most Outstand- ing Female Motorcyclist in 1978. After losing her battle with pancreatic cancer in 1990, Gloria Carter Spann was buried in Plains, with Easyriders magazine reporting that the backfilling of the grave was done by "bikers." "Missed by all who knew her," her tombstone reads, "She rides in Harley Heaven." CN Subscribe to nearly 60 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives A caricature of President Jimmy Carter made the cover of Cycle News in 1978, when the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) threatened to ban off-road vehicles on public lands.