Capitol Day 2011: Distinguished Service Award Winners announced

We are pleased to recognize the following individuals with the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation's Distinguished Service Award.  

The awards will be presented and the award recipients honored under the rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City during the Bicycle and Pedestrian Day at the Capitol on April 11, 2011.  

Friederike von Issendorff Wykes - Webster Groves

Through her dedicated effort to the SRTS Walk-To-School program at the Edgar Elementary School in Webster Groves, Friederike changed the lives of parents, children and teachers.

Since 2006 she has helped organize safe routes, create a new fitness/nature trail, encouraged traffic sign installation, initiated fitness activities and above all, worked tirelessly to change the culture of the community. 

Patty Vinyard - St. Louis

As Executive Director for the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, the list of Patty’s accomplishments is long and varied.

She has worked on Trailnet’s “Active Living Toolkit,” MODOT’s “Top 50 Priority Projects for Bicycling & Walking,” St. Louis’s winning application for Bicycle Friendly Community status, events, and best practices projects.

She also organizes classes, seminars, & presentations and keeps the topic of bicycling on the table of many government organizations.

Dr. Daniel J. Bauer - St. Louis

A fundraiser extraordinaire, Daniel has been active in the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure for 14 years.  He is listed in the top 5 national fundraising leaders and has been the leading fundraiser for the Tour.

He led  Gus’s Gang  cycling team to numerous awards and  works to Stop Diabetes Now by riding for friends and family and promoting biking as a healthy activity to prevent diabetes.  

Father Matthew Ruhl - Kansas City

Fr. Matt, a pastor at St. Francis Xavier combines his spiritual mission with physical challenges.

He used his 2010 sabbatical to ride from Washington to Florida in a 100 day Cycling for Change pilgrimage.  The group rode to increase awareness for the Catholic Charities Campaign to Reduce Poverty and raise money for specific projects throughout Kansas City.  The project raised over $400,000 and Fr. Matt singlehandedly raised $250,000.

Andy Cline - Springfield

A bicycle has been his main transportation for over seven years as he actively works on projects that promote bicycling and walking in his community.

An Associate Professor of Journalism at MSU, he writes the Carbon Trace weblog about cycling and walking as a means of transportation and has written a book on cycling.

He is a dedicated member of the Sustainable Transportation Advocacy Research Team, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee for Springfield and the Committee for Springfield Strategic Plan 2010.  He was also named Ozark Greenways Member of the year in 2009.

Doug Kiburz - Sedalia

Doug has worked with bicycle safety clinics for 25 years with police departments, bike clubs, Boys & Girls Club, Scout troops,  He produced the Ride Safe, Ride Smart DVD which is distributed to various groups.

He is a bike history buff and member of Wheelmen, the national organization for preservation of antique bicycles and their history.

Mike Murray - St. Louis

Mike Murray is the "Dean of Missouri Bicycle Advocacy"--he has been an influential advocate for cycling on the local, state, and national levels for decades. He was a founding member and past President of Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation. As a competitor, Mike has won numerous National Champion Awards in his age category. The list of his involvement include Great Rivers Greenway District, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Trailnet, United States Cycling Federation, and Missouri Bicycle Racing Association.

Melissa Brown - Jefferson County

Melissa works for the Jefferson County Health Department and spearheaded their bicycle program funded through the Missouri Foundation for Health.

She helped create a middle school bicycling program and bicycling education program. She also worked to pass a Complete Streets policy in Festus and Crystal City that were so well received that Herculaneum independently passed a similar policy.

Gina Overshiner - Columbia

She heads the Bicycle Brigade, a group of 5-10 middle schoolers biking to Smithton Middle School.  With her irrepressible enthusiasm for fun and healthy activities, Gina and her group have created a new, healthy “middle school cool.”

Gina, who uses a bicycle for almost 100% of her transportation, leads the group every day.  When not riding with the kids, she hauls tools and supplies by bike for her husband’s construction business.

She wrote a successful grant application to expand the Bike Brigade and led on one of the first Walking School Buses in Columbia in 2005.

Beth Gottstein - Kansas City

As a Kansas City Councilwoman Bet focuses her attention on small business development, neighborhood improvements, City responsiveness and fiscal responsibility and economic development.  She is a friend to non-profits and the underserved.

Beth volunteers extensively in the community and actively participates in the Bike Week and Car Free Challenge.

Jerry Kokesh - Chesterfield

A lifelong runner, Jerry commits his time to the promotion of running and physical fitness.  President of a local running club for 37 years, owner of a running specialty store, founding member of the St. Louis Track Club, his passion for running inspires the running community both locally and nationally.

Theresa Van Ackeren - Kansas City

It all started with a bike shop.  Owner of Family Bicycles in Kansas City, Theresa lobbied to add bicycles to the tax exempt back-to-school items.  She helped the city identify bike/ped projects for funding, she started a non-profit group that promotes bike safety education and worked with 8 companies to become “Bicycle-Friendly Businesses.”

State Senator Jolie Justus - Kansas City

Senator Justus was quick to respond when her constituents asked that bicycles be included in the annual tax free holiday.  Recognizing that it would improve health and air quality and reduce transportation costs, she introduced SB 937. 

She works with local businesses and nonprofits to support the proposed legislation.

She rides in and has served as chairwoman of the Kansas City AIDS Bicycle Challenge.

See honorees from previous years.

File: 

2011_missouri_bike_fed_award_ceremony_-_revised3b.pdf