MCDUFF MEMORIAL         

 

At 8:30am on Monday, June 13 Larry McDuff was riding his bike to work at Bee Natural Organic Farm in Fairhope.  He helped out with the crops and goats at the farm two days a week in exchange for fruits, veggies, and cheeses to support his vegetarian lifestyle.  He was riding south in the bike lane on Greeno Road when a hit and run driver struck and killed him.

 

Ironically his beloved wife Ann was killed in the same way two years previously on Baldwin County Hwy 27, now US 181.  Since that tragedy Larry had always worn a fluorescent lime green jacket, a helmet, and a flashing red light on his bike for maximum visibility. 

 

The McDuffs were environmental role models for all who knew them.  They rode bikes instead of cars, dried their clothes out in the sun, and travelled the world on foot.  Summers they trekked elaborately planned trips such as the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, the Appalachian Trail twice over, the John Muir Trail in California, and an even more daunting one in Peru.   When their four children were old enough they took them to Europe which they explored by bike.

 

TRAILBLAZERS REACT  

Swift on the heels of Larry's funeral the Trailblazers were besieged by callers seeking some meaningful way to respond to his death.  The memorial that seems most appropriate is roadway signage cautioning drivers and cyclists to share the road.  The Trailblazers are offering one such message which features a rear view of a motorist and cyclist travelling side by side with the "Share the Road" message below them.  See Photo below.

To sponsor a sign,  mail your $40.00 check  payable to: 

Baldwin County Trailblazers

P.O. Box 701

Daphne, Al. 36526

These 24"x24" brightly colored reflective metal signs will be posted on roads most frequented by cyclists in Baldwin County.