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/900508
VOL. 54 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 14, 2017 P127 of years ago and wrote a column about it…two days later Tom invited me to be his guest at their next board meeting. That's the kind of friend Tom was, both to me and to the sport. Tom was diagnosed with cancer last April and two weeks later he was at the Blazers banquet, setting up bikes in the exhibit and never skipping a beat. Only a handful of his friends were aware of the devastating news he was dealing with, not because he was hiding it, but because he didn't want to put a damper on the spirits of his dearest friends. Tom never stopped giving back to the sport and people that had made him wealthy. I'm going to miss the long conversations we had in recent years, usually when one of us was driving. We discussed our families, friends, motorcycles and sometimes even politics. He wor- ried about the declining sales of new bikes and the overall health of the industry. I will miss his Tuesday morning emails telling me how much he enjoyed a column I had written. He always knew the right thing to say to lift my spirits. I'll bet there are many of his friends out there who had similar experi- ences with Tom. He was unbur- dened with pretense and a straight shooter. He had a way of letting me know when I was full of crap, without insulting me. I mean, who else can pull that off? Chuck Miller and I visited Tom at his house a couple months before he passed away. We made plans to ride our Africa Twins from Chuck's place over to Tom's. Being somewhat of a street bike newbie, I rode to Miller's wearing shorts on the hottest day of the year. By the time I got there I was drenched in sweat and looked like I had ridden through a blast furnace. Miller saw me, laughed and said, "I can't believe you actually rode over here in shorts!" We drove to Tom's in his car and rang the bell. Tom took one look at me when we got out of the car, handed me a bottle of water and, in the kindest way possible, told me I looked worse than he felt. It was pretty funny and we all laughed at the irony. It was typical of Tom, worrying about me, even as his own health was dwindling. We talked about so many things and he was incred- ibly candid about his situation and the preparations he was making to ensure his family's well-being. Chuck and I were so honored that he had given us such a precious gift, his time. We said farewell and on the way home, although neither of us said it, I think we both feared that we might not see Tom again. The next time I heard Tom White's soothing voice was in a voicemail on October 14, a Sun- day. "Hey Steve, sorry I missed you at Perris last week, I got out of there pretty early. It really took a lot out of me, not the riding part, but the heat and putting on the gear." He talked about his newest grand- child, then closed with, "no rush, get back to me when you can. I just want you to know that you are special to me, buddy…Tom White, out!" I played the message over and over. It was such a sweet message. By then, it was early evening and I figured he was probably asleep. Be- sides, he never took calls after 7:00 pm when he was home…that was Dani time. I didn't call him the next day, telling myself that he did say no rush, while a voice in my head whispered, "What if something hap- pens? Call him!" By the time I called him back a week later, the voice in my head was deafening. I left a message, then a text, then another. Kristin sent me a text a couple days later, saying she was going through his messages and Tom could no longer respond. He was in his final days. Of course it isn't easy to call someone you care about when they are suffering, but that is what friends do. I am ashamed that I made excuses and even used Tom's own words, "no rush, buddy" to assuage my guilt. I have vowed to not beat myself up over it, because Tom would not want that. Friendships are formed over time, by our words and deeds. My heart goes out to Tom's family, friends and the entire motor- cycle community. The world was a much better place with Tom White in it. I'm sorry for not calling you back, Tom. You are special to me, too, buddy and I'm forever grateful to you for showing all of us what a real man can be. CN