Bikers come together for babies, good cause

The first motorcycle was invented in 1885 by Gottlieb Daimler, a German engineer. He attached a four-stroke piston engine to a wooden bicycle frame. For the next few years motorcycles remained largely experimental.

During the early 1900s, with continued improvements, they developed into useful, dependable vehicles with stronger frames, softer seats, more powerful engines, and more dependable brakes. I remember back in 1970, when Calvin Rayborn set a world speed record on a motorcycle as he sped across the Bonneville Salt Flats at 265.49 mph.

Vaughn Cochran, an Examiner press operator, is a biker, and he was just one of the 6,000 registered motorcycle riders in the 15th Annual Kansas City Bikers for Babies Ride for the March of Dimes. More than 7,000 people gathered at the Kansas Speedway on Sept. 20, where the massive parade of bikers assembled for the scenic 115-mile ride.

Fundraisers and participants were treated to a bike show, various prizes, a complimentary lunch, and live music, which was sponsored in part, by Worth Harley Davidson of Blue Springs.

Leading the riders were Dee Snyder, front man for the rock group Twisted Sister, who served as the national spokesman, along with the Kansas City Honorary Chairman Johnny Dare of KQRC Radio, “The Rock 98.9.”

The March of Dimes mission is to improve and support the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The Kansas City-Midwest chapter has historically led the nation in the amount of donations collected for this cause and, again this year they topped last year’s total. As of today, the bikers have raised more than $660,000 for the 2009 event.

The National Foundation-March of Dimes was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt back in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Roosevelt was one of the thousands of Americans who suffered from polio during his administration, and when I was a child growing up in the 1940s and 1950s the chances of getting polio was a real fear for everyone.

The mission of the March of Dimes back then was to find a cause and a cure for the crippling disease. The organization financed the research that produced the Salk and Sabin vaccines, which help prevent poliomyelitis.

It was discovered that polio was caused by viruses.

I remember well in 1953 when Dr. Jonas Salk announced that he had developed a vaccine, which became the first effective weapon in preventing polio. Among the first to receive the vaccine were Dr. Salk, his wife, and their three sons. It was proven safe and effective and the following year 1,830,000 school children took part in further testing.

Shortly thereafter, Albert B. Sabin developed an effective oral polio vaccine. It was the oral version that we were given on a sugar cube at the Jackson County Health Department on South Liberty Street in Independence. Thanks to the March of Dimes, Sabin also made significant contributions to our understanding of influenza.

Both poliomyelitis and influenza are caused by viruses, the microorganisms which are the smallest germs. The widespread use of both types of vaccines has nearly eliminated polio across much of the world.

With the eradication of polio behind them, the March of Dimes changed their mission in 1958 to support research, treatment, and professional and public education concerning birth defects.

It also continues to support the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which Dr. Salk established in 1963 at La Jolla, Calif.

The annual March of Dimes Drive has made tremendous strides in the health of our babies, but there are still nearly 1,400 premature births everyday in the U.S.



Reference: March of Dimes.

In cooperation with The Examiner, Ted W. Stillwell is available to speak before any club, church, civic, senior, or school groups. These informative and entertaining programs have been well received over the past number of years across Jackson, Cass and Clay counties.

To reach Ted W. Stillwell, send an e-mail to teddystillwell@yahoo.com or call him at 816-252-9909.