Keith Oberg, the recently-retired executive director of “Bikes for the World,” gave us an interesting presentation last week. Keith started the organization more than 15 years ago with a slightly recycled truck trailer and a vision. He mentioned an early event that he did with “Pedals for Progress” and North Bethesda Rotary that collected more than 100 bikes.
Since then, Bikes for the World has become the nation’s largest bicycle reuse program, shipping more than 12,000 bikes to more than a dozen partners in 29 countries around the world. Although retired from the organization (now housed on Parklawn Drive in Rockville), Keith is still active in promoting the organization and its work. The organization works with a number of national, state, and local organizations to collect bikes. Maybe we can rejoin them!

Bob Levey is a prizewinning journalist who has covered the Washington scene since the Johnson Administration. For 23 years, he wrote a daily column, “Bob Levey’s Washington,” for The Washington Post. The column looked at all aspects of life in the nation’s capital. It won major awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Journalism Review. Currently he writes a monthly column for Senior Beacon Newspapers. Washingtonian magazine readers named Bob Levey one of the most popular columnists in D.C. seven times. Earlier in his 36-year career at The Post, Bob Levey covered Presidential politics, Congress, local news and sports. In 1999 Bob Levey was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine in recognition of his community service through his column and as a hands-on volunteer.

Last Week: Neal Gillen, the author of nine novels, gave us a dramatic recollection of the topic of his latest book: Chicago 1968: Personal Reflections & Other Stories. Gillen described the tragic events of 1968, including the rising death toll in Viet Nam, the assassination of Martin Luther King—and the following rioting. During the summer of 1968, Gillen participated in the backroom negotiations after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and the nomination of Hubert Humphrey at the Democratic National Convention. He described a pivotal meeting between Humphrey and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, conducted at the convention center while a riot was going on outside. A fascinating presentation!