The Red Knights Ohio Chapter 1 first met at the Hambden Fire Station on March 23, 1986. The meeting was intended to see if there was enough interest to start a Red Knights Chapter. Amazingly, 27 Firefighters from Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula Counties attended the first meeting. Chapter dues were collected, election of officers and Chapter Bylaws were discussed. An application was sent to the Red Kn
ights International Board in August of 1986. We had over 30 motorcycles attend and with inclement weather approaching everyone got soaked. About half the riders never made it to our destination. Our chapter received its Incorporation papers from the State of Ohio in
March of 1987. Ohio Chapter 1 hosted the International Red Knights Convention in August of 1989 at the Travelodge in Mentor Ohio with 125 members in attendance. Our chapter also received its IRS nonprofit status and the Incorporation documents from the State of Ohio. Our chapter has been represented at every International Convention since its inception and took a very active role in its growth. Dick Morse (Uncle Dick) is the founder of our chapter and was a member of the International Executive Board and Board of Directors for 16 years. Mike Warner is the co-founder. Other members also served on the International Committees for a short term. Many members of our chapter were promoted through the ranks in the fire service and became Fire Chiefs. Throughout the years many friends were made at the local level and internationally. Our chapter bylaws were
not finalized until April of 1998 because they were added to and changed so often. They were revised around the international bylaws with our own additions added. Activity with our chapter slowed down a bit so we held a
reorganizational meeting on April 19, 1998. We decided to implement the bylaws so any new officers and members would have a guideline to follow. The tragedy of September 11, 2001 sparked the need to get our chapter reorganized and a meeting was held at Concord Fire Department on March 3, 2002. The Red Knights Ohio Association was formed in March of 2002. Our chapter was instrumental in creating a missing part of the international organization by instituting the Ohio Association Bylaws. The
Ohio Association was accepted by the International Executive Board at the annual business meeting in August 2003. At this
time Ohio Chapter 1 had 22 Chartered members in the Ohio Association. Our chapter was saddened in the summer of 2003 due to the death of Tim Boyce. Tim was killed in Alaska while riding his motorcycle with a group of 5 others. Ohio Chapter 1 hosted the first Ohio Association Poker Run in September 2004 in memory of Tim Boyce with over 100 participants. Our chapter hosted its own poker run the following year in 2005. Our chapter held elections in 2005 and Irene Fiala was voted in as Secretary and was the first female officer in the history of the chapter. She created the chapter web site and kept it current with information and ride schedules. The web site
was updated in 2006 so all members could be kept current with chapter activities. Lynn Komandt was appointed the first female to the International Executive Board serving as International Quartermaster in 2005. Lynn was also voted in as our chapter Quartermaster. Our chapter founder, Dick Morse, was appointed the chairman of the International Bylaws Committee in 2004. This chapter has experienced highs and lows during its existence but has continued to grow and welcome new members. Good luck to the new members and officers. Keep Ohio Chapter 1 strong and growing. Sincerely,
Richard J. Morse (Founder)
Red Knights Ohio Chapter 1
Fire Chief (Retired)
Leroy Twp.
