Darwin Hindman, 1933-2019: Columbia Mayor, "Father of the Katy Trail," Missouri bicycling, walking, and trails champion - funeral & memorial ride Saturday
Former Columbia Mayor and champion of bicycling, walking, and trails Darwin Hindman passed away Monday at age 86.
A memorial bicycle ride and funeral service will be held Saturday, June 22nd, 2019, in Columbia:
The mile-long ride will begin at 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the Darwin and Axie Hindman Discovery Garden in Stephens Lake Park, 2300 E. Walnut St. The group will then ride to the memorial service at Calvary Episcopal Church, 123 S. Ninth St., which will begin at 1 p.m.
PedNet asks that as many people as possible bike to the start of the route at Stephens Lake Park, and those who drive should park in the lot off Old 63.
Hindman was one of the early champions of the Katy Trail, and worked closely with Ted and Pat Jones, who worked tirelessly with Missouri state leaders for the Katy Trail, and finally donated over $2 million dollars to help acquire the Katy and build the trail. (Ted Jones passed away in 1990, before the Katy was completed. Pat passed away earlier this year.)
Later, Hindman was instrumental in advocating for the development of the MKT Trail--the nine-mile rail-trail that connects downtown Columbia with the Katy Trail. The intersection of the MKT and Katy Trails is now called "Hindman Junction" and has a display area with information about the history of the trails and the area. The Boone County Historical Society has called Hindman "The Father of the Katy Trail."
As a citizen and as Mayor, Hindman supported many important civic projects, including Stephens Lake and the Activity and Recreation Center (ARC). He was very influential in making Columbia one of the leading cities in Missouri and the midwest for bicycling, walking, and trails. Columbia adopted a Complete Streets policy before Complete Streets had a name or a national campaign. Under Hindman's leadership as mayor, the city greatly expanded its trail network and built a comprehensive network bicycle-friendly streets at a time when most Missouri cities had not even started to think about the concept.
In 2005, Hindman played a key role in working with Senator Kit Bond to bring the $22.5 million Nonmotorized Pilot Project to Columbia. Columbia was one of just four communities nationwide to received this grant. The city used the funding to make major upgrades to it citywide pedestrian, bicycle, and trails system--proving repeatedly the value of that type of transportation and infrastructure investment for communities.
Hindman's obituary sums up some of his accomplishments:
He got his political start working on campaigns for environmental causes, such as preserving the Meramec River and Irish Wilderness. In the 1980s, he promoted the construction of Columbia’s MKT trail as a pilot rail-trail project and then became the founder and chairperson of the Katy Trail Coalition. His efforts to create the Katy trail included testimony before the U.S. Senate to promote legislation, which made rail-trails possible all over the country.
The Columbia Missourian writes:
Under his stewardship, Columbia was a “full-service city,” said Ray Beck, who was city manager for most of Hindman’s 15 years as mayor. The city didn’t just build roads, Beck said; it focused on making citizens’ quality of life better.
Mayor Hindman (center) and his son-in-law, Ian Thomas of Pednet, receives the first-ever National Outstanding Achievement Award from Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists at the National Bike Summit in 2010“He had a real vision for what Columbia could be,” said Chris Janku, who served on the City Council from 1991 to 2008.
“He thought people’s goal in life should be to have a productive, happy, satisfactory life,” Axie said. “As a member of the City Council, he felt that should be one of the goals of the city.”
Hindman was Columbia's longest-serving mayor--15 years and five terms.
The Katy Trail, now one of the premier hiking and biking trails in the nation, was created out of the ruins of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line that was severely damaged in a Missouri River flood in 1986. Using a federal rail-banking law, Hindman led the push to obtain the line, found private funding from Edward D. “Ted” Jones and overcome landowner objections.
Former state Rep. Chris Kelly worked with Hindman to establish the trail. Hindman and Jones, owner of the Edward D. Jones financial services firm, did more than any other private citizens to establish the trail, Kelly said.
“Darwin brought his support and enthusiasm and knowledge to the project,” Kelly said. “He really understood the economic benefit of the Katy Trail to the state of Missouri and he has been proven absolutely correct.”
When HIndman retired as Mayor in 2010, Henry J. Waters of the Columbia Tribune summed up his contribution to founding the Katy Trail:
Hindman might fairly be remembered as the father of the Katy Trail.
In an effort to exploit the new opportunity provided by Congress with passage of the so-called Rails to Trails Act, the newly elected mayor of Columbia planned a trip to lobby then-Gov. John Ashcroft for support of a plan to convert abandoned railroad rights of way into a public, cross-state trail that would become one of Missouri’s most popular state parks.
Hindman says Ashcroft was for the idea but recognized the strong opposition it would face, mainly from rural interests. The mayor figured his entreaty would have more weight if he took along a well-known person from the business community. He knew that the president of an investment firm bearing his family name was interested in public recreation, so he asked Ted Jones. With typical lack of hesitation Jones quickly agreed, and the two set off for Jefferson City.
Gov. Ashcroft thanked the two solicitors for their civic-minded interest but reminded them the state had no money for such a project, at which time Jones quickly said he would pay for restrooms all along the trail, a kickoff gesture typical of Jones’ leadership style.
Hindman in 2010
Over the years, Hindman received many awards, including:
- Missouri Parks and Recreation Association: Public Achievement Award (1999)
- American League of Bicyclists, the first National Outstanding Achievement Award (2010)
- Trail Blazer Award, National Rails to Trails Conservancy (2011)
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy award reads:
Darwin Hindman has been a lifelong campaigner for active living, recreational opportunities for all citizens, and walkable, bikeable communities.
As a citizen activist in the 1980s, he helped convince then-Missouri Governor John Ashcroft and the state legislature to convert an unused rail line into what is now one of the most recognizable and successful rail-trails in the country: the 237-mile Katy Trail State Park.
Hindman stated that having a father who was a professor of physical education instilled him with a belief in the importance of people being active and having recreation in their lives. However, as he grew older, he began to see that often we were not building our cities and communities to provide those opportunities.
Rather than bemoan this landscape, Hindman set his mind to change it. As a five-term mayor in his hometown of Columbia, Mo., he worked tirelessly to expand the city's system of trails, bike lanes and parks. Hindman is credited with the construction of nearly 100 miles of side trails, pedways and bike paths that have made Columbia one of the most pedestrian-friendly cities in the nation.
He was also instrumental in securing a $25 million federal grant under the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program—for which RTC was the lead advocate and helped administer—to help Columbia develop a multi-modal transportation system. As a result of Hindman's efforts, Columbia is consistently rated one of America's most livable communities.
Awards received by Hindman include a Leadership for Healthy Communities award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of American Bicyclists. In 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama recognized him for his efforts to build a bicycle-friendly community.
A search of MoBikeFed.org for "Darwin Hindman" brings up over 50 results--one measure of Hindman's impact on bicycling, walking and trails in Missouri over the years.
Join MoBikeFed's Advocacy Network
Working together we make a real difference! Join our advocacy network:
Related pages
Current topics...
Archives...
Want better bicycling and walking in Missouri?
We rely on the support of members like you. Please join, renew, or donate today.
