Brian Williams will always be remembered by those that loved him and his story continues to inspire hundreds of people every year. Family, friends, and bike riders alike gathered to honor a fallen NIC graduate in a second annual memorial bike ride held on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The event started and finished at O’Shay’s Irish Pub & Eatery where participants gathered to sign in for the ride which was different this year from last year.
Instead of a ride to Canfield Mountain, this year’s ride was a poker run to seven different businesses around Coeur d’Alene. They included Cricket’s, Terra Sports, Capone’s, Kayak CDA, Vertical Earth, Bardenay, and Fedora.
Paul Chivvis, resort/recreation management instructor, coordinated the event. Jon Totten, Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator, helped out together the event. Chivvis was an instructor to Williams at NIC and said he recalls how Williams was always passionate about the environment, taking care of the earth every chance he could get.
“I had an opportunity to go riding with Brian a few times,” said Chivvis. “This event brings back some great memories. It also provides a way for many to cope with everything by having us do what he loved.”
Both Chivvis and Totten said that they believe the event will continue to grow annually once the word gets out more.
“The ride went well this year,” said Chivvis. “We didn’t have quite as many people show up as we would’ve liked, but this event will continue to grow.”
Williams graduated from NIC and attended the University of Montana where he studied environmental law. Two summers ago, Williams and three others were returning from a sight-seeing trip at Glacier National Park when their single-engine plane fell from the sky. No one survived the crash. Williams was 28 at the time of the crash. His friends and family said that he had hoped to make a difference in the world.
Totten said that he hopes more students will get involved in Outdoor Pursuits.
The Brian Williams Memorial Scholarship is partially funded by the bike ride that Chivvis put together. After this year’s ride, bikers returned to O’Shay’s for a BBQ, live music, door prizes, raffle prizes, and a silent auction.
The law department at the University of Montana has also set up a scholarship for students who are pursuing a degree are environmental law.
