Alice King's 100th Birthday: The Ride Of A Lifetime
On Monday, June 1, 2009, Ms. Alice King of Windsor, VT
turned 100 years young. Alice, a motorcycle rider since 1927, wanted nothing
more than
one
more ride on a Harley-Davidson for her birthday. Thanks to Granite State
Harley-Davidson in Lebanon, NH, she got her wish.
Alice’s family reached out to GSHD to see if anything could be
arranged. The Harley shop was thrilled to put together a plan to give Alice the
thrill of several lifetimes. 
“We just love doing this kind
of thing. Talk about a ‘feel-good’ event!” said Bob Parnicky, a manager at the
dealership. “As soon as I got off the phone with Alice’s granddaughter Cathy
Niboli, I got in touch with Carl Greenwood, a customer of ours who owns a 2009
Tri Glide. It’s a big Harley with three wheels and a large, safe rear
seat.
Carl's a proud Vietnam veteran
so I told him I had 'a mission' for him.
Carl was happy to accept and
make a dream come true”.
Ms. King was born in Watertown, MA and as a youngster attended schools in Littleton, MA and Tilton, NH. At the age of 18 she rode her first Harley with her brother Wendell, who rode with a group of eight friends.
“They would come into the yard
and rev them up…It was very exciting! Over the years Harley has added more to
their motorcycle to make it more beautiful.” Alice adds: “It was a lot of fun.
I rode motorcycles from Tilton to Concord sometimes to watch the movies”. On
the origins of Laconia Bike Week, she says “Once a year in Laconia or Franklin
there would be a meeting that lasted a whole day. Everyone would ride
motorcycles to it. A lot [of them] rode Harleys. It was a motorcycle
gathering!”
Alice has one child, four grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. She says that her favorite memory is of the birth of her daughter, Georgia.
She has seen a lot of history
during her hundred years: World War I, Prohibition, the Great
Depression,
World War II and the atom bomb, Korea, the “red scare” of McCarthyism, Vietnam
and the turbulent sixties, disco, the advent of personal computers and
everything since. Alice says that she is thrilled that we now have our first
African-American President: “It’s about time”.
On a personal level,
Alice’s life has been a reflection of the eras she’s seen. Her family had one
of the first radios in the area because a family member sold them. Neighbors
would come to the house to enjoy refreshments while listening to the new
“miracle machine”. Later, while working at an appliance store, Alice even sold
one of the first television sets in Windsor, VT.
At 2 PM on her birthday Alice
was surprised by an escort of about 3 dozen Harley-Davidsons and a police
cruiser departing Granite State Harley-Davidson to ride with her through the
hills of Lebanon, Lyme, and Hanover Center. The media was invited and turned
out in force. All 3 major network affiliates covered this wonderful story,
as well as NECN. Later, Alice gained international fame when the story got
picked up by the BBC. Links to video clips can be found below.
The ride went perfectly. The weather was great and the scenery picturesque. Alice was grinning from ear to ear for the entire 35 minute ride and was again surprised upon her return by a brass band from Lyme, NH playing "Happy Birthday" as the trike came to a stop. Many of the hundred or so people attending commented later that they got all choked up by the memorable scene. A birthday cake adorned with a toy Harley capped the day off for the birthday girl.
The staff of Granite State Harley-Davidson is proud that we were able to help a fellow biker enjoy the ride of a lifetime.