Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

Remembering Reed Murray and Fred Meredith

Back in the Critical Mass (CM) days, comprised of mostly young riders, two "old guys" (in their 40s/50s) showed up regularly to lend their support:  Fred Meredith and Reed Murray.

Fred was a fixture on the CM email list which started in 1993 and which was a precursor to this forum.  He was the editor of Austin Cycling News (later Southwest Cycling News) for the now-defunct Austin Cycling Association.

Once on a CM ride, Fred and Reed were riding side by side in a single lane, and a cyclist passed them on the left.  So for a second or two they were three-abreast, and a cop ticketed all three of them.  That was the kind of harassment we had to deal with in those days.  But it just further strengthened their resolve to keep riding CM and pushing back against police overreach.  They likened the police response to what it was like in the Vietnam War protest era.  They were both featured prominently in the Bike Like U Mean It documentary which covered the local cycling community, including CM, released circa 2000, and now available for free on YouTube.

Fred passed away in 2019.

Reed was the founder of White Mountain Foods, which makes yogurt and meat substitutes like wheat roast.  He was killed in 2008 at age 57 in a hit-and-run collision while riding his motorcycle.  The driver was never located.

Here is his obituary.

Yesterday I visited the White Mountain Foods headquarters for the first time since the 90s.  They have a little memorial for him in the lobby.  His nephew, Hannibal Murray, is Reed's successor as CEO.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: Remembering Reed Murray and Fred Meredith

Thanks for that.  Fred was a heck of a nice guy and made huge contributions to cycilng in this area and even nationally.  I miss seeing him around and miss his newspaper.

Allan_Dunlop

Newbie

Registered: 2019-01-18

Posts: 1

Re: Remembering Reed Murray and Fred Meredith

Thanks for posting this, Michael.

I was saddened when I heard of Fred's passing in 2019. So many people I knew respected and liked him deeply, as did I once I met him.

It was my good fortune to work with Fred once. It was while leading an LCI seminar to get my Master Instructor certification through the LAB when I was living in Austin (I was a National Examiner in Canada before relocating for a time to the States).

Fred's is a gentle, personable, and caring soul. He contributed so much, and he did a great deal of good through his instructing, leading rides, advocacy, and more. His work with the SCN was valuable on many levels, and I enjoyed reading that publication.

It is good and fitting to remember him, and I thank you for this.

'Though I did not know Reed, I was appreciative of (and affected by) being able to read his obituary. The phrase 'passed away' has settled uneasily in me on reading this.

After a lifetime of working as a marine biologist, then in various roles with a vaccine manufacturer (health & safety, disaster recovery, environmental management, and quality assurance auditor), I became involved with cycling advocacy and education.

It is in this role that I remember Fred Meredith. I am thankful that I knew him, if only briefly.

As for Reed, it is for him and for others--whether they be on a motorbike, a bicycle, walking, or using any transportation mode other than a car--that I get up every day and work to change the status quo.

The generally accepted ways of getting from A to B in our society are abhorrent. I find it hard to believe that, if we were to set up a configuration from scratch in 2021, the existing template would be considered anything other than ranging from laughable to absolutely horrific.

Yet here we are.

It is thanks to people like Fred Meredith and countless others that it isn't much worse than we currently experience.

We all have work to do, and I would like to thank you for yours.

Allan

Allan Dunlop – Director
The Center for Cycling Education
(306) 370-2453 [BIKE]  |  allan /at/ thecce.org  |  TheCCE.org

Last edited by Allan_Dunlop (2021-09-18 04:38:46)