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| Member Profile /
Biography |
 Ray
Davis, KD6FHN
Chairman of the Board & Board Member
August, 1st, 2007
Born in a small town in SD. Moved to Mitchell, S.D. about 1938.
Graduated from Mitchell Senior High School in 1951. While
working for the Inglewood Fire Dept. for 31 years I continued
studying and attending college part time and finally completed a
4 year degree in 1982.
In 1951 after graduation from Mitchell Senior High School went
to work for the South Dakota State Highway Dept. for about 1 yr.
Then went into the service in 1992 and spent 15 months in Korea
during the Korean conflict. After getting hurt during a night
firing mission on Chodo Island, a couple of hundred miles North
of 38th Parallel I was sent to the Yokahoma Army Hospital in
Japan for three months. I was then flown to Fort Carson CO and
was discharged in time for Christmas in Dec.1953, having spent
less then 2 years in the military.
Went right back to work for the South Dakota State Highway Dept.
in January of 1954 and plowed a lot snow and helped built a lot
of roads as a heavy equipment operator.
My father bought the Fox Deluxe Bar & Liquor Store in
Mitchell for me and I owned that for approximately 3 years
before heading for Calif. Bar tending was not something I wanted
to do for life.
Arrived in Inglewood CA. in Feb. 1957 and went right to work for
North American Aviation in El Segundo CA. There I worked as a
turret lathe operator, jig bore machinist, and a tool and cutter
grinder. During that same time period I was also working for the
US Postal Service in El Segundo CA., holding down 2 jobs and
working 16 hour days to get money to get my wife and children
moved out to CA.
On April 1st, 1960 I started my 31-year career as a fire
fighter, with the City of Inglewood Fire Dept., retiring in
April 1991 on an Industrial Disability Retirement, having
reached the rank of Fire Capt.
During all this time I had managed to get married and have 2
children, a son Rodney and a daughter Janell. Rodney lives in
Moreno Valley CA. and works for that city, he has 4 boys. Janell
lives in Oviedo FL. and owned her own business, but sold that
and is now studying Real Estate, Janell has two daughters and a
son. Rodney is also a HAM (KE6WOD). Rodney rides an 06 Harley
Davidson.
Motorcycles have played an important part of my life since 1947,
when my father purchased and brought home an Army 45-inch Harley
Davidson for me, still in the crate. The old Army Air Force Base
was closing North of Mitchell at that time and selling off
everything dirt-cheap. Before that I had owned a Doodle Bug,
Cushman Eagle and a Whizzer Motor Bike. This May 2007, will make
me a motorcycle rider of 60 years.
Just a few of the rides I have completed are: all 49 states in
15 days once, all 48 States twice, the Southern California
Motorcycle Assoc. (SCMA) USA 4 CORNERS RIDE, 12 times, that ride
goes from San Ysidro CA., to Blaine WA. to Madawaska ME., to Key
West FL. in any order you want to ride it, and its 10,500 miles
by the time you get home. Have done the SCMA 3 Flags Classic
Ride, from someplace in Mexico to someplace in Canada 22 times.
Attended 22 Wing Dings, and 8 Sturgis Rallies. I made my first
trip to the Sturgis Rally back in the days it was called the
Gypsy Tour, in 1947. In the summer of 1997 we put 41,070 miles
on the 1990 SE which had over 219,000 miles when it was sold to
the insurance company in June 1998. In 2001, we put nearly
55,000 miles on the 96 Gold Wing. All five of the Gold Wings we
have owned have had over 100,000 miles on them when sold. In the
summer of 2004 I put 42,000 miles on Casper, the new white 2004
Gold Wing. Casper now has 132,000 miles on him, as of Aug. 1st
2007.
In the summer of 1978 I had a 1975 Gold Wing and a 1973 Harley
Davidson. I let a bunch of fellow fireman talk me into going
back to the Sturgis Rally from Inglewood CA on the Harley
Davidson. When I got back home I put it up for sale and haven't
ridden a Harley Davidson since.
Now we keep ourselves busy with all the charity events MARC
participates in. In 1998 we helped with the Riverside County
Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis 150K Bicycle Ride, the
Challenge Cup Relay Race (Baker to Vegas 120 mile relay race),
our last year to work this event as a club. The Orange County
Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis 150K Bicycle Ride, and the
Love Ride (the largest single day motorcycle fund raiser in the
US, one million dollars), which benefits those with Muscular
Dystrophy.
In 2007 MARC will participate with several additional charity
events for a total of 6, depending how those charity
organizations complete their planning. As of Oct 14th, 2007,
MARC Members have helped raise nearly 40 million dollars for the
many charity organizations that we work for.
To say that MARC (Motorcycle Amateur Radio Club) has played a
major part in the lives of Ray and Bonnie Davis since its birth
in 1992 would be a gross understatement. We have a very large
family in MARC now and we love them all. MARC (The Motorcycle
Amateur Radio Club) was 15 years old in May, 2007.
Ray
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