Fearless Balke

The picture below is of Charles "Fearless" Balke, one of the stars of American motorcycle racing in the pioneer era. Like many, his life was cut short by a tragic accident in 1914. In a touching story his young wife Edith - they were both in the early twenties- chronicled his career in a scrapbook. Amazingly, that scrapbook survived an extended stay in the attic of Edith's nephew, who passed away in 2004. When family members cleaned his attic, they discovered this fine historical record which is appropriately stored in the American Motorcyclists Association (AMA) Hall of Fame Museum.
 
I prepared a nice bio feature on Fearless for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's program for the recent MotoGP race. I thought it especially appropriate as this fine rider's name is in nomination for the AMA Hall of Fame. Let's hope he gets the nod.