Chapter NC-I Staff

Chapter Directors
Al and Jean Warren

Al and Jean Warren
Email the Chapter Directors
(828) 628-1757

Al & Jean graduated high school together in Michigan and married a year later, while still in college. While Jean earned her PHT (Putting Hubby Through) degree, Al completed his studies and graduated from Michigan State University. Various jobs led them from mid-Michigan to Fairview, North Carolina in 1983.

Al is Business Manager for surgery at Mission Hospitals, and Jean is the bookkeeper and office person for Control Specialties, a commercial HVAC company, in Fairview. They have two adult children and three grandchildren.

With help from an older brother, Al learned to ride at age 15 on a Triumph. He briefly owned a Dukati (big mistake) after high school, which Jean enjoyed riding with him. However, the demands of school, work and family interrupted the riding for many years.

In the Spring of 2003, while visiting with Al's brothers and sisters, Jean took a long ride with the older brothers. Upon returning from the ride, Jean took Al aside and told him, "We've GOT to do this!" How many guys would die if they heard that from their wives? Al took the Basic Rider Course at Blue Ridge Tech, and the rest, as they say, is history.

They joined GWRRA in 2004, and began attending the Asheville chapter in the fall of that year. They are enjoying making new friends, and having others of like mind to ride with. They are looking forward to many years of safe riding with the group.

Assistant Chapter Directors
Dave & Dianne Smith

Dave and Dianne
Email the Assistant Chapter Directors
(828) 648-4178

Dave started riding on Vespa scooters in Ohio at age 14 and was hooked. He purchased his first motorcycle, a Honda 305 Dream at age 17 and, shortly after that, a Honda SL90 on/off road bike. Dianne grew up in the Asheville area and attended Roberson High School. She had a few short rides on motorcycles, but nothing memorable. After marrying, she had two children, a daughter and a son and now has three grandchildren.

After a couple of years of not riding, Dave moved back to Columbus, OH where he married and had one daughter. He now has two grandchildren. After hooking up with one of his old biking buddies, he started riding again and owned a series of bikes and became the Ohio State Coordinator for the CMA. Dianne raised her family and went back to school at Mars Hill for a degree in teaching. She is currently teaching 1^st grade at Vance, for a total of 26 years in the NC school system.

Dave purchased a new GL1200 in 1985 and joined GWRRA in 1987. He served as ACD and CD of OH-B3. In 2002 he was offered a position with Ride for Kids as one of the National managers and moved to NC in 2003. In the meantime, he moved up to a GL1500. David met Dianne at Biltmore Baptist Church where they are both members. On their first date, David took Dianne for a ride to Tenn. Not being familiar with the area he made a wrong turn and ended up on Deals Gap. Surprisingly, Dianne continued to ride with and date David, and they were married on July 7, 2007 at Wing Ding in Montana.

They both like to ride, laugh and hug and are looking forward to many miles, smiles and friendships.

Chapter Educator
Charles Cox

Charles Cox
Email the Rider Educator
(828) 273-7688

Charles...

Treasurer
Linda & Ralph Gilliam

Linda & Ralph Gilliam
(618) 622-3302

Linda's father joined the Army Air Corp as a Chaplain a year after she was born, which made her a combination AFB and PK, or Air Force Brat and Preacher's Kid. Her family moved about every two years. While living in Morocco, she rode her first motorcycles and scooters, which must have been quite a sight on movie nights when she would dress up in heels and ride from the housing area about ten miles to the theater. To put that in perspective, it was the late 1950s, and people still dressed up to go anywhere. If she had been riding to church she would have worn gloves and a hat too!

Years later in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Linda surprised her son with his first motorcycle (a Kawasaki) for his 13th birthday. She got to ride behind him when camping at the lake—in her "safety bikini and thongs." Boy, did she have a lot to learn!

Drawing on his experience working at his father's gas station and fixing up and maintaining his own cars and motorcycles, Ralph joined the U.S. Army as a diesel mechanic. After tours in Germany and Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, he was one of the 125 trainees certified as an Iron Worker out of 1000 applicants in Kansas City, Missouri.

Linda and Ralph met in Tulsa and were married in the Azalea Gardens 1983, and they and their four children from previous marriages became a single family. They now have four grandkids.

Soon after marrying, they bought a full-dress Suzuki 600 followed by a Honda 500 after moving to Florida. One day, Ralph spied a gaggle of Goldwings parked outside a business. He talked to the business owner, who just happed to be the Area Rep for GWRRA. The force was strong! Ralph and Linda soon bought a 1984 dark blue Wing. Ralph had no intention of joining GWRRA, but did after attending only one meeting.

Six weeks later they were motorcycle camping in Cherokee, NC with lots of friends at a Wings Over the Smokies where constant rain forced them to buy their first rain suits—canary yellow ones. Linda took a MSF course and got her motorcycle endorsement. One trip took them to the first Wing Fling in Halifax, Nova Scotia, through other parts of Canada, and then to Oklahoma and Texas and to Wing Ding in Knoxville, Tennessee; a total of over 10,000 miles.

Linda has been the GWRRA Area Rep and Ralph the Assistant Area Rep. They've ridden to many Wing Dings, including Tulsa and Albuquerque, and to many rallies, including a Region A Rally in Maggie Valley in May where 14 inches of snow fell on the bikes.

After many years of riding to North Carolina from Florida to enjoy the weather and the view, they retired and could have moved anywhere, but North Carolina was the obvious choice. They are glad to find more GWRRA family members to make new memories with.

Ride Coordinators
John & Ramona Williams

John & Ramona Williams
Email the Ride Coordinator
(828) 687-9868

John Williams was born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1947. He is retired from the military where he served 6 years in the U. S. Army and 14 years in the U. S. Marine Corps. He also spent many years in Law Enforcement prior to getting involved in computer applications. He is currently working for Exact Software developing and conducting classes on e-Synergy. John moved to the Asheville area from New Hampshire the end of January 2005. John owns a 1999 Red Goldwing, Wolf Rider, which he rides through the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Technical Advisor
Phil Hendricks

Phil Hendrix
(828) 699-0980

Phil began riding when he was thirteen years old, starting with a dirt bike and progressing to his current 1990 GL1500. He worked for many years as a heavy equipment mechanic.

A native of Asheville, Phil moved away for 24 years and then returned to the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. He has a lot of Gold Wing maintenance expertise, so if you have any questions, call him at (828) 699-0980.

50/50 & Door Prize Directors
Joe & Patsy Martone

Joe and Patsy Martone

Joe & Patsy Martone joined GWRRA in early 2002, and they have enjoyed the many people they meet. They have taken on the task of running the 50/50 drawing and door prize drawings at the monthly meetings.

Joe served in the Naval-Air, and is a Viet-Nam Vet He has a first class FCC license, and has a small studio in his home where he produces voice-overs for radio and TV. He has worked at radio stations in both CT and NC, and he has been on the local cable TV.

He is a board member of the Blue Ridge Radio Players, which produces full Radio Plays on tape for the blind (free of charge). They are distributed in all 50 states libraries, and in all the Veterans hospitals. He is also a member of the Knight of Columbus which helps many mentally challenged people and other worthy causes.

Joe and Patsy like to ride on a Sunday, and as often as possible. He owns a 1995 20th anniversary 1500 Goldwing. Joe is transplant from Connecticut and Patsy is from Louisiana.

Newsletter Editor and Webmaster
Wil Higdon

Wil Higdon at the Post Office
in Higdon, Alabama
Email the Newsletter Editor
Email the Webmaster
(828) 251-1172

Wil has been riding motorcycles off and on since 1972, starting with a Honda CB-350. Prior to owning his Gold Wing, he had a 1997 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500. Its only real problem was the passenger seat. His wife, Melody, determined that the stock seat was comfortable for only about 30 miles.

One day Wil and Melody test drove a GL1500. After her short ride in the plush back seat, Melody said, "We have to get one of these!" A few weeks later they were proud owners of a brand new white and silver 1998 GL1500SE.

One of their first rides with St. Louis GWRRA Chapter MO-A was a lunch ride of 350 miles round trip. Since moving to Asheville, Wil has completed a coast-to-coast ride and trips to Key West, Nova Scotia, and places named "Higdon". Some of these rides are described on Wil's web site. His Goldwing's odometer has rolled past 99,000 miles. After more than 20 years of not riding her own bike, Melody is now the proud owner of a Suzuki Burgman 650.

Wil and Melody are both retired from the U.S. Air Force. Wil has an extensive background in communications electronics maintenance, including four years of teaching basic and advanced Air Force technical school courses. He currently writes computer and database reporting programs for HomeTrust Bank in addition to creating and maintaining this web site. Melody, with long experience in weather forecasting around the world, writes and edits climate studies as an Air Force civilian employee. Melody has authored two books; check them out at MelodyHigdon.com.