Former long-time AMA President Ed Youngblood has sent us the letter he sent yesterday resigning his post with the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Here it is, in its entirety:

December 11, 2007

Mr. Don Rosene
Chairman, Motorcycle Hall of Fame Committee
400 West Potter Drive
Anchorage, AK 99518

Dear Don,

On December 7, 2007, two of the hardest-working, best, and most loyal employees the American Motorcyclist Association has ever had were fired and escorted out of the building like criminals. One had served 25 years and the other 28. Never mind that the employees in question have been key to driving membership, magazine circulation, and magazine revenue to all-time highs. Never mind that they were utterly loyal to the Association and served it well, even during the period of confusion and instability it has experienced in recent years. Beyond this cruel incident, it is my belief that the current leadership of the Association has established a reign of terror over the professional staff as a whole.

In my opinion, the current regime is monstrous, and I am simply dumbfounded that the AMA Board of Directors seems tolerant of this style of management, if not complicit. It has caused me great pain to watch the deterioration of the AMA, but I expect my unhappiness is nothing compared to that of the employees, volunteers, and supporters who have been directly affected by it. There is very little I can do about this situation except cease to be a party to it in any direct or indirect way.

For this reason, it is with deep sadness that I resign my position as Chairman of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ambassadors and Promoters Committee, and my membership on the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Pioneers Committee. Furthermore, with the firm belief that the current AMA leadership will apply any resources provided it toward the destruction of the Association, and eventually the destruction of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, I will make no further financial or in-kind contributions until a more caring, conscientious, and responsible leadership is established at the levels of both the administration and the Board of Directors of the AMA.

Sincerely,

Ed Youngblood
Past President, AMA
Member, Motorcycle Hall of Fame

CC: AMA Board of Directors,
AMHF Board of Directors,
AMA President