VALE

AVE ATQUE VALE Don Graves

Another pioneer of the motorcycle sport and industry has passed away. Don Graves’ good friend and associate Rob Hassay reported that Don died peacefully in his sleep back in December. Anybody who ever exhibited at the Dealer Expo or the IMS tour will always remember Don being the first one on duty during set-up days, bringing coffee and a bright smile to start off another great show!

“Mr. Graves, you were the consummate gentleman, a voice of reason, a teacher, an industry leader & advocate, and all around good man,” says IMS boss Tracy Harris. “We will miss your stories, your advice and your huge zest for living life fully every single day.”

“Our motorcycle world has a hole in it today that will never be filled,” adds Hassay. “One of our greatest, my best buddy and mentor Don Graves left us, his family and this world. Wish I had words to describe what Don meant to our industry and so many of us individually. Now Don joins his pals Everett Brashear and Ron Bishop in being Guardian Angels to us all. While we have lost an industry leader and pioneer, Don’s family has lost their loving Father and Grandfather. Please keep them in your prayers.”

In addition to being a “Trailblazer” in every sense of the word (see sidebar), Don is one of the initial group of Industry Icons included in Gene Woods Hot Shoe Hall Of Fame in Las Vegas. But that is only the tip of the iceberg for this cool cat. Everybody knew Don, but few know how much he did during the formative days of this industry. Guess why Kawasakis are green? Mr. Graves! “We helped Ken Boyko prepare this interview with the late Don Graves for everyone to see what a neat, influential guy Don was for the motorcycle industry,” says Todd Huffman, producer of The Motocross Files. “Nothing fancy, just fun stories about Mr. Honda and Kawasaki’s green color from a guy who was there.”