I was hesitant to post this out of concern that it might possibly be misinterpreted but after reflection I decided the message was too important and should be shared. Tonight I had the solemn privilege of attending the wake of the eldest of the Bumpus brothers, Dan, here in Memphis. Dan had the misfortune to suffer a disabling stroke in his mid-twenties. Unable to work and depressed he could no longer ride his Harley he told his dad he'd like to run a motorcycle shop. Serendipitously the Harley dealership here in Memphis became available about that time and in 1985 the Bumpus family purchased it. The dealership has now grown to four full service locations and one retail location. Dan has not been active for many years and his three brothers run the dealerships.
As I was offering condolences to the family members Tim Bumpus introduced my wife and me to two gentlemen he had been speaking to - Matt and Sean. No mention was made of who they were and they greeted us warmly and pleasantly and we conversed with them for several minutes. They were wearing retail type Harley-Davidson shirts with no identifying markings. But I recognized Matt as Matt Levatich, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson and upon returning home I identified Sean as Sean Cummings Senior V-P, Global Demand for Harley-Davidson.
I mention this simply to say that these busy gentlemen did not have to take time to travel from Milwaukee to Memphis to be with the Bumpus family . . . but they did. And that to me is what in spite of all else there is a genuine sense of family and camaraderie in Harley-Davidson and that is what keeps me loyal to the brand and the Bumpus dealerships. Kudos for Matt and Sean for being stand up guys.