Fred Blessin Memorial

• We have a goal of raising additional monies to create a larger memorial on the bike path.
  
• Thank you in advance for your support.
  
• You can watch our progress towards our goal at www.QCBC.org
  

Fred Blessin died this year. Fred was a founding member of the Quad-Cities Bicycle Club and served the club in many capacities over the years. He served as club president, led social rides, helped with races, taught effective cycling courses, and was a tireless advocate for safer conditions for bicyclists. I think it appropriate that we do a significant memorial to Mr. Blessin for his work in getting the bike trail system started in Davenport and the Quad-Cities.

I first met Mr. Blessin when I was 14 years-old. I was an avid biker on my Schwinn Varsity and Fred and his wife, Betty, would take me and one or two of my 8th grade biker friends to various places to bike country roads. We went to Southern Wisconsin, the Galena area, up to Northeast Iowa, and others. The simple joy of exploring new roads!

Fred and Betty were very active in the League of American Wheelmen - now called the League of Bicyclists - and attended tandem rallies all over the country. They were featured on the cover of the LAW publication in the late 1960's. An engineer at the RI Arsenal, Fred rode his bike to work practically year-round and he was interviewed by the Quad-City Times as this was very unusual back then. Bikes were for kids to get to the park and school!

Fred took his passion for cycling in general, and safe cycling in particular, and proposed a system of on-street bikeways to the Davenport City Council around 1970. It was accepted and he helped with a bike-a-thon which raised over $7,000 for signage. The first bikeway system connected many city parks and then led to the Duck Creek path we know today.

Betty Blessin died at a relatively young age, and later Fred met Mary, a wonderful lady who would be his tandem partner for many years and survives him today.

In the history of cycling in the Quad-Cities, the two persons that have been the strongest advocates for the sport are Fred Blessin and Carter LeBeau. I think that Carter would agree that we should honor Fred for all his work that has benefited us all. Fred was a quiet, humble gentleman who accomplished great things with kind words and a smile.

Good-bye Fred, we miss you!