Recreation Activist Passes Away
Earlier this summer the AMA, California motorcycling, and particularly District 36 lost a true friend and benefactor with the passing, at age 71, of Donald Walter Link in Sacramento, California.
Don was a vocal activist in land use issues as they affected National Forest lands. He served on several advisory committees while at the same time serving as District 36's legal advisor and treasurer. He had also been a BlueRibbon Coalition member and generous contributor since 1989. This combination allowed him the unique opportunity to become a valued and sought after spokesman in land use issues as they affected motorcyclists throughout Northern California.
A longtime member of the Polka Dots Competition Motorcycle Club, Don held District 36 Sportsman number 4X and was an active competitor especially enjoying enduros. After years of enduro competition, he decided that he'd had it with waiting days, if not weeks, for the final results to arrive. Modifying a system he had observed while joining a friend on a sports car rally, Don, who at the time was a member of the District 36 Referees Committee, suggested to the group the adaptation of the "You Check" system of scoring. This was the beginning of the enduro scoring still in nationwide use today. The installation of this system is something he considered among his proudest achievements.
After his retirement, Don, always one to lend a helping hand, (especially if something mechanical was involved) served as a docent with California Rail Road Museum. In a later position he logged over 36,000 rail miles during a two-year period serving as railroading's good will ambassador.
--For questions or comments, please contact the BlueRibbon Coalition at 4555 Burley Dr., Suite A, Pocatello, Idaho 83202. Phone: (208) 237-1008. Email:
