Betsy Lister named to motorcycle hall of fame in Sturgis Photos

Although there's some information that's not quite correct in the article, due to the fact that I was talking a mile a minute, and she was feverishly taking notes (not shorthand), a few things were translated incorrectly.
One was, that I stated I was waiting to become a grandmother, not one yet, and the other was that she made it look like I single handedly was responsible for the Registry notifications about motorcycles. While I had a hand in it, I was a part of a committee that toiled long and hard with then Deputy Registrar to make it all happen.
There might be a couple of other minor discrepenices... but over all a thank you to Nell Coakley of the Medford Transcript for taking the time to interview me and share my special honor!
Gypsy

http://www.wickedlocal.com/medford/newsnow/x998215327/Betsy-Lister-named-to-motorcycle-hall-of-fame-in-SturgisBetsy Lister named to motorcycle hall of fame in Sturgis Photos

Courtesy photo Betsy Lister and Bumpkin astride her bike at the Americade rally in upstate New York. Purchase this Photo Wicked Local Photo by Nell Escobar Coakley Betsy Lister will be inducted into the Sturgis Museum Hall of Fame for all the work she has done to raise awareness and education for motorcycling. Purchase this Photo Wicked Local Photo by Nell Escobar Coakley Betsy Lister holds a yellow motorcycle awareness poster, which she worked to have put up throughout the state. Lister was also instrumental in having the Registry provide motorcycle education literature for drivers. Courtesy photo Betsy Lister’s poetry has appeared in the anthology, ‘Rubber Side Down.’ She hosts a BBQ at her house every April in honor of her fellow road poets. Courtesy photo Betsy Lister jumps out of an airplane to skydive on her 60th birthday, fulfilling a lifelong wish. More Photos
By Nell Escobar Coakley/ncoakley@cnc.com Medford Transcript Posted Apr 09, 2010 @ 03:34 PM Medford — Betsy Lister is sitting in her Central Avenue office on a sunny morning, enjoying one of the first truly warm days of spring. Her mind on business, she exchanges pleasantries with a customer who wanders in.
But it’s not long before the two are talking about one of Lister’s favorite pastimes — motorcycling.
“The diehards ride all year long,” Lister says, after her customer and fellow enthusiast leaves Lister Insurance. “For me, there’s still a lot of sand and potholes. I usually head out after the first nice, clear day.”
And no one expects to see a 61-year-old grandmother tooling around with a small dog slung across her lap.
“Life is to be enjoyed!” Lister says, confessing her teacup Maltese, Bumpkin, loves to ride in a pouch when she hits the road. “Some people like to bowl, some scuba dive, but I like to ride.”
Riding is not the only thing Lister does. This tough-minded businesswoman is also heavily involved in educating and raising public awareness of motorcycles.
And in August, she will be inducted into the Sturgis Museum Hall of Fame in Sturgis, S.D. The museum’s main objective is to preserve the history of motorcycling and honor those who make a significant contribution to the sport of motorcycling.
“All kinds of different people have been inducted before me,” Lister says. “Malcolm Forbes, Jay Leno, Peter Fonda, the Davidson family … A lot of people with a lot of clout.”
For Lister, who found out about the honor after receiving a letter this past Valentine’s Day, winning is a huge honor.
“To be nominated is one thing, but to win is something completely different,” she says. “You can nominate anyone, but people win on their merit.”
Lister quickly discounts what she has done to win, including the daily newsletter she sends out to motorcycling enthusiasts nationwide after spending four to five hours combing through not only Massachusetts, but other state Web sites for important legislation, announcements, events or items of general interest. On the weekends she does the same thing for veterans.
“It’s part of the routine,” Lister says of the workload she has been undertaking for the past 11 years. “I think the only time I didn’t do it was when I was in the hospital having surgery.”
But it’s not just the newsletters. Lister also worked five years to educate motorists about motorcycles for the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association as its safety, education and awareness director. Because of her, the Registry of Motor Vehicles agreed to send yellow educational pamphlets to all state drivers renewing their licenses.
During its heyday, Lister says the Registry was sending out 60,000 pamphlets a month to promote safety with driver notices.
Additionally, Lister was instrumental in changing the way the insurance industry thinks about motorcycles. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Lister put together a cycling event in 22 days to raise money for the Independent Agents Association’s America’s Survivors Relief Fund and picked up just under $10,000.
“The insurance carriers got a group discount [for motorcycles], which was practically unheard of,” she says.
Early enthusiast
Motorcycling has been in her blood for a long time, but it’s not something Lister picked up from her parents. She does, however, admit her father was an adventuresome soul — and maybe she got it from him.
It wasn’t really until 1969 that Lister sat on her first motorcycle. She recalls her husband taking a nasty spill on the bike and refusing to drive it to work. With little fear, Lister took it up and started riding to work.
By 1992, both the husband and bike were gone. Lister was looking for something to do.
“I thought a bike or a boat,” she recalls. “On a bike, I could go anywhere, there was low overhead and I could go out in all seasons. The boat was high maintenance and you couldn’t go out all the time. People would want to go out with you.”
So she bought a bike. Three years later, she was on her first Harley and a short time later, started her advocacy work following the death of a close friend who was struck by a car while on a motorcycle with her husband.
“I was angry,” Lister says. “I wanted to so something to ramp up education. I started doing the newsletter and work for the MMA. I still do that and I try to get legislation passed to make people safe. As a result, I think that’s how I ended up in the hall of fame.”
Road to Sturgis
Sturgis hosts one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the nation, one Lister has attended three times. She says she loves the area for its simple beauty and history.
And this Aug. 9-15 will prove even more wonderful, as Lister is set to receive her special designation on Aug. 11 in Rapid City.
“I am beside myself with excitement,” she says, spelling out a trip that will leave her on the open road for at least three weeks before returning home to Medford. “The more I think about getting myself out there, the more thrilled I am.”
But, she says, she’s also a bit embarrassed by the sudden recognition. Although she’s already a published poet, with work featured in “Rubber Side Down,” a biker poet anthology, as well as her statewide work, Lister is still reacting to the win.
“I was speechless and that is difficult for me because I always have something to say,” she laughs, when recalling her first reaction to the win. “This is just another lifetime experience.”
But it’s also something more. Like all hall of fame inductees — whether it’s the Baseball Hall of Fame or Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — Lister says there is something permanent about such an honor.
“After I’m dead and gone, my grandchildren will know that their grandmother did something notable in good fashion instead of being in a newspaper for robbing a bank or something,” she says, laughing. “I just love motorcycling. I’ve met some idiots, but I’ve also met some really great people and it’s enabled me to travel to place I might not normally have gone.”
And while it might seem odd to see her tooling around on her bike, clad in all her leather gear, with a dog slung across her lap, Lister says that’s part of the fun.
“Motorcycling has changed,” she says. “Before you might think of cyclists as renegades, but now you have a lot of professionals out there enjoying being with like-minded people.”
And while she admits she’s received some strange looks from people throughout her life because she is a woman, Lister sees the connection between herself and Sturgis.
“Maybe I’m a pioneer,” she says. “Maybe that’s why I like Sturgis so much. Honestly, I have no idea where I picked up my love of cycles. I just really love it.”