Where We Go One, We Go All

January 2003

Trails End.......

This will be our final Trails End article for 2002 and the first one for year 2003. Memphis Tour Riders have come a long way since we booked our first member applications on April 1, 2002. In the nine months that we have been in existence our membership has grown to fifty members. Not bad for a newly chartered AMA Motorcycle Club that received it's Tennessee Nonprofit Corporation Charter in April. B. J. and Hildia Max did an outstanding job of editing our monthly newsletter this year as well as covering our 2001 activities in the December Happy Trails. B. J. wrote an excellent recap of our many events. We will again have fun in 2003 as our membership grows. Please remember, the Memphis Tour Riders can only be as good as you. the members, want it to be. Your participation is the key to our continuing success.
We did not have a meeting in December. In lieu of our regular meeting we held our first annual Christmas Party. Along with the house parents, Johnny and Bea Mayhan, the Memphis Tour Riders joined forces with Jimmy Rogers and The Fayette County Bass Club and threw a Christmas Party for the nine children of Davis Cottage at the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home. Memphis Tour Riders & Fayette County Bass Club members in attendance were Jimmy & Margaret Rogers, James, Karen, Matt & Jennifer Rogers, Cary Wanda & Kelly Rogers, Carter & Barbie Taylor & Girls, Jason Risley, Robert Crawford, Dick & Fran Salveson, Dan & Linda Randall, David Elston, Floyd Nunnelee, Dorothy Shipman, Don & Marion Oller, Danny & Lori Parker, Sandy Stroud, B. J. & Hildia Max, Tim Hendrickson, Terry & Mary Carol Scott, Mike Hooper, Brenda Hamilton, Gene & Kathy Dennie, Stan & Jean Viets and of course Santa Claus. 
The children provided a list of their wants and needs, personal sizes, color preference, etc. and members of both clubs personally purchased and gift-wrapped gifts for all the children. We also had tremendous support from some of our community business firms. We can't thank them enough for their help and we appreciate their dedication. A separate list of the firms, solicited by both clubs and their donations are listed in this newsletter. 
Thanks to Dan Randall and the Charity Committee for a super job in coordinating all the many details for this successful party. It wouldn't have happened with out them. We also want to thank all the ladies and families from both clubs that supplied and then served the food, drinks, and desserts along with other condiments and goodies. 

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From the pages of the Commercial Appeal

Motorcycle Cop's Family Fighting For Insurance

By Chris Conley

The family and friends of a veteran Memphis police officer badly injured while leaving the job on a police motorcycle in September are fighting City Hall in an attempt to get full insurance coverage for him. James Ashe, 55, an officer since 1972, was riding east on Paul Barret Parkway on Sept. 10 when the bike went off the road and crashed, critically injuring the officer. Ashe was a lieutenant at the time, but made captain while recovering from his injuries. 
The City of Memphis on Nov. 1 notified Ashe's family that his case will not be covered as an on-the-job injury, even though police officials considered him to be on call and available for service at the time of the crash. 
Police union officials say the decision sets a bad precedent for all officers who use take-home vehicles. The practice is encouraged by the city as a crime deterrent. Ashe's family and members of the Memphis Police Association have appealed the decision and expect a final verdict soon from the city, MPA vice president Tommy Turner said. 
The city's decision to reject the claim will cost the family thousands of dollars, if upheld, said Alex Ashe, the officer's son. The motorcycle officer, now undergoing rehabilitation, suffered spinal and brain injuries and may never recover fully, his son said. "He's making some good recovery, but we don't know if it will be full," Alex Ashe said. 
Dep. Chief Charles Cook on Oct. 8 directed a memo to city officials to back up Ashe's claim. "This motorcycle is a law enforcement vehicle . . . with M.P.D markings, blue lights and siren," Cook wrote. "At all times, while the officer is operating this vehicle, he is required to monitor his police radio and respond to calls for service from the dispatcher, from supervisors, other officers or citizens requiring assistance." If an officer fails to respond to calls for assistance, he can be disciplined, Cook stated. 
"Lt. Ashe's status while operating this police vehicle is on duty," Cook's memo concluded. "The whole Police Department is backing us up," said Alex Ashe. "We just want what's right, to get him the health care he needs." 
On-the-job injuries are treated as workers' compensation cases and covered completely, with no out-of-pocket expenses, according to Billy Robbins union secretary-treasurer. Otherwise, medical bills are processed through the employee's personal health care plan, which has various deductibles and caps, which fall on the family, Robbins said. 
The denial of Ashe's claim puts all officers in a predicament, union official Turner said. "Up until Jim Ashe, we have always been covered . . . I haven't seen anything that changed." If the city does not reverse this decision, the MPA plans to sue, Turner said. 

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HAPPY TRAILS

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Happy Trails  is Published Monthly by Possum's Anonymous, Memphis, Tennessee 901-377-9140