Thank You from Jay Kelly

"Dear Friends:Never have I been so surprised as when I received the first-ever Joe Hassell Friendship Ride award. So surprised, in fact, that I did not realize David Ham was talking about ME. What a wonderful surprise coming from the people, sport, and club that have meant so much in my life.Thank you all for thinking of me. Thank you to David Ham and Lisa Anderson for the presentation and kind words. (No wonder I did not recognize myself!)Thank you to Kelly Brammer for putting the event together. Thank you to Kelly and Jenny Banta for the memory book. What a treasure. So beautifully done. I have already looked through it many times and shared it with family and friends. The pictures brought back so many memories.Thank you to Lisa Anderson for the poem and for the bicycle-embossed leather notebook. It will certainly be used. Thank you, Henri, for the plaque with our picture on it. You are a new and dear friend.Thank you to the Permian Basin Bicycle Association for the jacket. I keep admiring it and finding new and interesting features such as the reflective tape front and back (so important!) and even my name on the sleeve! Thank you all for this wonderful keepsake.I have loved every day of my association with the PBBA and its members. It was an exciting privilege for me to be among the organizers of the PBBA, and it is with great pride that I have watched it develop and evolve into the outstanding organization it is today. Thank you all for your contributions to the PBBA.It is hard for me to describe the impact cycling has had on my life (not counting the many impacts my body made with the pavement!). At 85 years of age it still plays a huge part of my everyday life. Thank you all for enriching my wife in this way.With sincerity and gratitude,Jay Kelly