Ken Kifer, 1945-2003: Teacher, construction worker, philosopher, bicyclist

Today we received word that Ken Kifer, author of an influential series of web pages about bicycling and founder of the BicyclingAdvocacy discussion list, was killed by a drunk driver.

Ken was struck by the drunk driver Saturday evening and died in the hospital Sunday. He was riding just six miles from his home, undoubtedly on a route he had ridden many, many times before. The drunk driver had been arrested for a DUI and open container violation on Friday and was released from jail just four hours before the time he killed Ken.

According to the police report, the driver was operating at a very high rate of speed and under the influence of drugs and alchohol. He was driving south; Ken was riding north on the opposite side of the road. The driver has been charged with murder.

Ken has been a very influential and steadying force in the online bicycling community. Aside from the value of his common sense summaries of good bicycling practice and worthwhile, well thought-out contributions to conversations on many subjects, Ken was one of relatively few prominent online cycling advocates whose objective seemed to be to unify rather than divide the community.

Ken was not a polemicist; he sought honest discussion and persuasion. And by far his most persuasive argument was his own life.

In his own words:
As a child, I found myself in a hostile environment. As an adult, I have found myself under attack for having unusual ideas. Therefore, I have usually stayed in the background and concentrated on making my private life worthwhile.

My ideas are not orthodox, as I am neither conservative, liberal, nor moderate, but a non-conformist and an individualist.

I strongly agree with the necessity for a life built on values rather than on personal desires or convenience.

I think that we should all waste less and consume less, learn to appreciate Nature more, take better care of our bodies, and adopt a less-stressful pace of life. I promote using a bicycle instead of a motor vehicle because doing so is kind to the environment, good for the body, and good for the psyche.
Well said, Ken, and well lived.

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