My dealer had a family Christmas day today. They had Santa, gift wrapping and such. They also had Jean Davidson and her son Jon there. It was absolutely awesome to chat with them. They seemed like long lost friends. Jean is Walter's granddaughter. He was one of the 4 founders and 1st president of HD. Her father Gordon was the VP of manufacturing. Listening to her family stories and tales was hoot. She is a character herself. Her son Jon is a collector of motorcycles and knows all there is to know about the beginings of motorcycles. Not just HDs either. Their presentation is a must see if they come to your area. Well worth the time to visit with them. They covered a lot of territory in a short 75 minutes. It was interesting to hear where the family came from, how they knew the Harleys, some family tragedies, the parties of family and friends, motorcycle development, etc....I bought their book of course and had them sign it and also had a picture with them.
It was interesting to hear that the Harleys have not been involved with the company since 1974 I believe and that there really aren't many of them left.
It really was. Jean decided not to work for the MoCo. Instead she became the family historian and a school teacher. She developed a learning tool to help kids in trouble and also tries to get that program out there free of charge. I like history so it was easy for me to take there presentation all in.
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