Norm Beausoleil
I became a firefighter with the Westborough, MA, fire department in 1977, at the ripe old age of 20 and immediately befriended Ed Wright, one of only 2 full time firefighters in nearby Northborough, MA, because – you guessed it – we both had motorcycles. Move ahead to 1982 and that was how and where this great Club and family, the Red Knights, began!
I was as active with the Club as I could be given the work schedule I had. I missed half the meetings and half the Sunday monthly rides. When MA 1 rode out to deliver charters, I was rarely available to join, once again, due to my schedule. But I was active as a board member and had a big hand in developing our original By-laws and Rules & Regs, where it was stated we “must own” a motorcycle.
In 1988 my wife was pregnant with my second daughter. As I was on my way to work, I watched a Suburban pull out of a lumber yard onto the roadway and into the path of a guy on a bike. That rider died in my arms as I waited for my department’s ambulance to arrive, and that haunted me. That could have been me, and I had a wife and (soon) 2 young children to worry about. They meant more to me than my bike did, so I sold the bike. By-laws being By-laws, I was no longer eligible to be a member of the Club.
Not being a member, I wasn’t made aware of the By-law addition of “access” to a motorcycle from “ownership”, but I remained friendly with most of the members of MA 1, or at least those from Northborough, as we worked mutual aid very often.
I worked my way up the ranks to Captain and raised my family, putting both girls through college, but the desire to ride again, and with the Red Knights, was always burning deep inside of me. The next check I wrote after my last tuition check was written was the down payment on a brand new Yamaha V-Star, and the following check was for my dues to rejoin MA 1. Let me tell you why I’ve chosen to write my “Bio” in this manner.
Since I returned, I’ve had a much stronger desire to ride and make good for the Club. I missed a lot during the years I was gone. MA 1 and the rest of the Red Knights may have missed me, but I know I missed them far more. Today, one of the things I hear most often when I’m with members of the Club, especially executive board members of chapters, is something on the lines of “How do we get rid of the ‘Deadwood’?”. Sometimes, you must answer a question with a question, and I respond with “Why do you want to get rid of them?”. The answers vary greatly but generally come around to “All the RKIFMC cares about is their dues”, and that, my brothers and sisters, is far from the truth.
The Club cares about every one of us, in many varied ways. Chapter and International leadership should care about its members the same way. I was “alienated” in some ways early on because I didn’t know I didn’t need to own a bike to remain a member. By keeping the “deadwood” on your roster and e-mail distribution list you will keep them informed. You will continue to show them that the Club is there for them, even though they may not be “there for the Club”. You may not know their situation. And look at me today.
Not only am I back in the saddle, but I am also now YOUR International Vice President, elected by you, yet most of you only knew of me if you read the history of the Club, until I was no longer the “Deadwood” so many members at all levels want to eliminate. Ten years from now, the brothers or sisters you are looking to remove from your rosters today could be some of your strongest members, future chapter officers or even your next International Officer. Keep them on your rosters. Keep them informed. Keep them interested. Be empathetic to their situation(s) and they may very well surprise not only you but our entire family of Red Knights.
As always, I remain,
Loyal to Our Duty
Norm Beausoleil – MA 1
5858 71st St N
Saint Petersburg, FL 33709
(508) 958-4560
Norm Beausoleil (MA 1)
vicepresident@redknightsmc.com