Richard Sturgeon, president of the Jemez Riders Riding Club, with the award he received from the New Mexico Motorcyclist Rights Organization. Courtesy photo
BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Richard Sturgeon of Los Alamos has been named 2021 Motorcyclist of the Year by the New Mexico Motorcyclist Rights Organization.
Sturgeon is the chair of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Motorcycle Safety Committee which he was invited to set up in 2015. Even those who do not ride, have read the columns he publishes through LANL.
Sturgeon is also president of the Jemez Riders Riding Club and also leads the group in regularly cleaning up a mile of the Main Hill Road which the group has adopted.
Raymond Gallegos, president of the NMMRO told the Los Alamos Reporter that Sturgeon has been a great asset to the motorcycle community and has provided a presence in Los Alamos that wasn’t there in the past. He noted that for several years, Sturgeon has advocated for motorcycle awareness by promoting the issuance of proclamations in May by county and state government.
“Through his work, proclamations are now issued in all 33 New Mexico Counties each year promoting May as Motorcycle Awareness Month,” Gallegos said. “He has also organized motorcycle safety classes for people in the region.”
Gallegos said Sturgeon and his wife, Liz have for three years organized a benefit ride with the Jemez Riders from Los Alamos to Jemez Springs to raise money for Wyatt Taylor, a young man from Jemez Springs who was involved in a serious accident and continues to need surgeries and assistance in paying for medical expenses.
Sturgeon is also involved with a group of motorcyclists called God’s Misfitz in Albuquerque whose mission is to provide meals, clothing, hygiene and spiritual guidance to their homeless/hurting friends.
“He travels all the way to Albuquerque on Saturdays to help out on the streets at night and then returns home to Los Alamos at 2 or 3 a.m. when we are done,” Gallegos.
Gallegos said when NMMRO was last year at who deserved the award, Sturgeon really stood out.
It’s like he showed up one day and wiggled his way into our hearts.,” he said.
The New Mexico Motorcycle Rights Organization monitors current political and legislative activities that affect the motorcycling community within the state of New Mexico.