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Collection: SC-0369 University Archives and Special Collections Joseph P. Healey Library University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, Massachusetts 02125 [email protected] BICYCLE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION RECORDS 1816-2006, bulk 1880-1997 Accession Number: 120-003, 120-021 Repository: University of Massachusetts Boston. University Archives and Special Collections Creator: Bicycle Manufacturers Association Title: Bicycle Manufacturers Association records Date [inclusive]: 1816-2006, bulk 1880-1997 Extent: 12 linear feet (four record cartons, five document cases, one legal size document case, one half document case, one newspaper box, one scrapbook, one film reel, .25 linear feet of books, and six oversize folders) Name of Creator: These materials include records of this same body under its earlier name, Bicycle Institute of America (name changed in 1975). Language: English Citation: Courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston: Bicycle Manufacturers Association records Processing Information: Processed by Meghan Bailey in February 2020. Conditions on Use and Access: This collection is open for research. Copyright: Copyright restrictions may apply. PROVENANCE William Wilkinson donated the records of the Bicycle Manufacturers Association to University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston on September 22, 2015. PROCESSING NOTES The records for the Bicycle Manufacturers Association had no original order and were culled from Wilkinson’s donations of records of other organizations with which he was involved. Original folder titles were retained. Folder titles created by the processor and information added to original folder titles are indicated by brackets in the folder list. Duplicates have been removed. Many of the photographs in Series III are reproductions and the dates reflect the dates of the original images rather than the dates of the reproductions. University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Collection: SC-0369 BMA BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE William C. Wilkinson III, also known as Bill Wilkinson, earned a BIS in public administration and planning at George Mason University in 1978. The following is a list of positions that Wilkinson held during his career in bicycle and pedestrian safety and public policy development and planning. • 2010-2019: Executive Director, Surface Transportation Policy Project • 2005-2018: Project Director, Surface Transportation Policy Project • 1986-2008: Executive Director, National Center for Bicycling and Walking • 1983-1986: Deputy Director, Bicycle Federation of America • 1985-1994: Executive Vice President, Bicycle Institute of America/Bicycle Promotion Organization • 1980-1983: Director of Programs, Bicycle Manufactures Association of America, Inc. • 1976-1980: Program Coordinator, US Department of Transportation in the Office of the Secretary • 1973-1976: Trails Planner, Fairfax County Park Authority • 1971-1973: Policy Analyst and Park Technician, National Park Service HISTORICAL NOTE The Cycle Trades of America, formed in 1904 and located at 122 East 42nd St., New York, NY, established the Bicycle Institute of America (BIA) in 1938 (1). After World War II, it encompassed many industry trade associations representing bicycle parts manufacturers, wholesalers, and major national retailers. These member organizations included the Bicycle Manufacturers Association of America, Cycle Parts and Accessories Association, Cycle Jobbers Association, National Bicycle Dealers Association, and the Bicycle Wholesale Distributers Association (1). The BIA cultivated and maintained working relationships with government agencies, like the Department of Transportation, and environmental agencies, and served as the trade industry’s official voice in Washington and state legislatures. The BIA lobbied for and promoted bicycle safety with a focus on children. During the 1960s they added health and infrastructure to their mission, with Dr. Paul Dudley White as their spokesperson, and distributed free printed materials on themes of safety, organizing bicycle clubs, and staging bike rallies. The BIA held several yearly events including the Congressional Breakfast, attended by eighty-four congressmen, and the Bike Month program, and financed the national championships for bicycle racing. They produced and distributed films at no charge and stored a supply of antique bicycles in New York and Hollywood that were made available, at no cost, to advertising agencies, filmmakers, newspapers, and fashion studios. These promotional activities coincided with the growth and popularity of bicycling by the early 1970s. The BIA ceased functioning at the end of 1974 when the popularity of bicycling dropped. 2 | Contact: [email protected] University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Collection: SC-0369 BMA Since 1946, John Auerbach served as Executive Secretary and Executive Director for both the BIA and the Bicycle Manufacturers Association (BMA). The BMA was incorporated as the Bicycle Manufacturers Association of America, Inc. on July 21, 1965. Since approximately 1950, the BMA served as the principal financial underwriter of the BIA, held annual meetings, and conducted public relations as the BIA until the early 1970s. In 1975, the BMA continued the BIA’s efforts to promote bicycle safety, recreation, bicycle legislation, and trade activities. In the same year, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint that industry groups of which the BMA was a part, such as the Cycle Parts and Accessories Association, the National Bicycle Dealers association, and the Bicycle Wholesale Distributers Association, worked too closely with each other, resulting in the breakup of the coalition. Subsequently, the BMA moved their offices to Washington D.C. to run a government relations program and carry on the publication of BIA’s Boom and Bikeways newsletter. The BMA went out of existence in approximately 1985, leaving a void regarding industry support and involvement in bicycle promotion. Manufacturers during this time period experienced a decline in their market shares. With the BMA gone, the trade companies came together to recreate the initiative that the BMA continued for the BIA. As a result, the Bicycle Federation of America (BFA) managed the industry promotion effort, renaming themselves the Bicycle Promotion Organization (BPO). The BPO changed their name to the Bicycle Institute of America in 1987 with no relation to the original organization or approval of the Bicycle Institute of America to reuse their name. The records of both the BFA and BPO can be found in SC-0253 National Center for Bicycling and Walking records. SOURCES OF INFORMATION 1. Judkins, Calvert Jay. National Associations of the United States. US Department of Commerce, 1949. Accessed March 24, 2020. https://books.google.com/books?id=vBxWAAAAMAAJ&ppis=_c&lpg=PR31&ots=wI4upvYux- &dq=cycle%20trades%20association%20bicycle%20institute%20of%20america&pg=PR31#v =onepage&q&f=false SCOPE AND CONTENT These records document the activities of the Bicycle Manufacturer’s Association (BMA), the Bicycle Institute of America (BIA) (pre 1975), and the work of William C. Wilkinson III. Materials consist of files kept by regular staff and William C. Wilkinson and include by-laws, minutes, reports, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, flyers, newsletters, magazines, books, clippings, photographs, and maps. Due to William C. Wilkinson III’s roles across the BMA, Bicycle Federation of America (BFA), Bicycle Promotion Organization (BPO), National Center for Bicycling and Walking (NCBW), and his work for the US Department of Transportation, materials will overlap across collections. 3 | Contact: [email protected] University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Collection: SC-0369 BMA Researchers are advised to consult the following collections: SC-0302 William C. Wilkinson III collection, 1887-2004, bulk 1963-1997 and SC-0253 National Center for Bicycling and Walking records, circa 1953-2008, bulk 1980-2007. See also SC-0200 League of American Bicyclists records for materials such as films, publications and brochures related to the Bicycling Manufacturers Association and the Bicycle Institute of America. Many of the photographs in Series III are reproductions and the dates reflect the dates of the original images rather than the dates of the reproductions. Topics include bicycle safety, pedestrian safety, public health issues, traffic regulation, injury prevention, cycling accidents, creating safe bicycle routes, promotion of bicycling, bicycle touring, bicycle trails, cycling, bicycle commuting, alternative transportation, and the bicycle industry. RELATED MATERIALS The following sources provide additional information on the Bicycle Manufacturer’s Association and William Wilkinson: SC-0302 William C. Wilkinson III collection, 1887-2004, bulk 1963-1997 SC-0253 National Center for Bicycling and Walking records, circa 1953-2008, bulk 1980- 2007 ARRANGEMENT This collection is arranged in five series, of which Series I and Series II have been further arranged in subseries. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows: Series I. Bicycle Institute of America Records, circa 1935-1985 Subseries i. History and Correspondence, circa 1944-1980 Subseries