CI HAVE BEEN ASK MANY TIMES, WHY I WEAR A DERBY. MY DERBY IS MORE THAN AN OUTDATED HAT, IT IS A SYMBOL OF MY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND ANCESTORS ,WHO WITH BRAVERY HAVE FACED AND MET THE GRIM REAPER. THEY HAVE MET HIM FACE TO FACE , SOME IN THE FIRE AND HELL OF WAR AND SOME IN A QUIET DIGNIFIED DEATH. THE STORY OF MY DERBY IS A SALUE TO SOME OF THEM AND A TRIBUTE TO ALL.
MY DERBY FIRST BELONGED TO A STRONG AND BRAVE MAN NAMED FRITZ HERRICK A.K.A. " THE JESTER". AN EX-MARINE HE WAS ONE OF THE MARINES WHO WALKED OUT FROM THE FROZEN CHOSEN RESERVIOR DURING THE KOREAN WAR. HE BECAME A MENTOR AND FATHER FIGURE TO MANY YOUNG BIKERS AND A GREAT FRIEND TO MANY OTHERS. WHEN HE DIED I LOST TRACK OF THE DERBY FOR A WHILE. ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER I SAW ANOTHER FRIEND , STICKS, A VIET NAM VET
WITH THE DERBY ON.
I TOLD HIM OF MY LOVE FOR THE HAT AND MY DESIRE FOR IT WHEN
JESTER DIED. TO MY SUPRISE A FEW DAYS
LATER HE GAVE ME THE
DERBY AS A GIFT.
NOTHING ON THE DERBY
IS THERE BY ACCIDENT
THE DERBY IS JESTER
THE FLAG IS STICKS AND THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE CLUB.
THE " PI PI PIN" IS FOR JACK ROSCO.
THE WALL PIN IS FOR ALL THE VETS THAT HAVE EVER SERVED.
I PROUDLEY WEAR IT AS A
TRIBUTE TO ALL THESE
AND WHEN THE GRIM
REAPER CALLS FOR ME, I WILL
PASS THE DERBY ON TO A YOUNG BIKER THAT WILL CARRY ON THE TRADITION.