Planting a tree for Susie Stephens

Last week was Bike to Work Week and it was the perfect time to remember Susie Stephens and celebrate her life.

Anyone who ever met Susie Stephens would remember her.  Her personality was that vibrant.  Susie was the second Executive Director for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, the first ED for the Thunderhead Alliance (now the Alliance for Biking & Walking) and a bicycle advocate extraordinaire.  She was killed in 2002 as she legally crossed a street in St Louis.

On a sunny morning last week, the Bicycle Alliance staff gathered on Seattle's Burke Gilman Trail near Golden Gardens to plant a tree in her memory.  We were joined by City Councilmember Richard Conlin, Susie's mother Nancy MacKerrow, and a group of friends who had known Susie.  We shared memories of Susie, laughed and shed a few tears, and wrote messages - treegrams - that were attached to the scarlet oak that was planted in her memory.

Nancy explained that she chose to remember Susie by planting a tree in her memory every year.  The idea caught on and others who knew Susie or knew of her also planted trees for her and, before long, a Susie Forest was growing.  This forest is Nancy's living legacy to her daughter.

Planting a tree at this location felt bittersweet to me. In 1994, shortly after Susie took the helm of the Bicycle Alliance, we led a community walk along the railroad corridor in Ballard and encouraged folks to envision the Burke Gilman Trail making its way through their neighborhood on its way to Golden Gardens Park. That walk launched the formation of the Friends of Burke Gilman Trail. Although a missing link of this trail still exists, the segment of trail where we planted the Susie tree was not around in her lifetime.

Happy trails, Susie.

You can read a previous post about Susie here.

Tree Number 105: Remembering Susie Stephens



Nancy MacKerrow (L) spearheads the tree plantings.


On a chilly morning in November, I joined some Spokane folks to plant a commemorative tree at the new trailhead for the Fish Lake Trail. This wasn’t just any tree planting and this wasn’t just any tree. We were there to celebrate the on-the-ground progress that bike and trail advocates have made in recent years in Spokane--particularly the development of the Fish Lake Trail—and we were there to remember Susie Stephens.

Susie Stephens was a legend in her own time. A Spokane native, Susie was a past Executive Director of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. Her first major task as the brand new and untested ED was hiring me, and she was fond of telling folks that hiring me “was the best decision she ever made at the Bicycle Alliance.” Hey, how could I not be fond of this woman?

Councilman Jon Snyder participated.

Susie became a bright and shining star on the national bike and pedestrian advocacy scene, loved and known by many. She was hired as the first ED for Thunderhead Alliance—now known as the Alliance for Biking and Walking. But as the fates would have it, Susie was struck and killed by a bus as she legally crossed a street in St. Louis at a national pedestrian training in 2002. In the blink of an eye, she was taken from us.

But Susie has not been forgotten. In 2003, her mother Nancy MacKerrow, planted several trees in her memory in Spokane. Today, the Susie Forest now exceeds 100 trees sprinkled around the globe and continues to grow.

“Trees mean life,” states Nancy, and each tree not only stands as a legacy to Susie and the livable communities she advocated for, but they also commemorate other people, events and milestones. When we planted tree number 105 at the trailhead that November morning, we were also celebrating the progress bike and trail advocates made with the Fish Lake Trail.

In May, the Bicycle Alliance staff plans to plant a Susie tree in Seattle. We’ll share the details as they emerge. If you’d like to plant a Susie tree in your neck of the woods, contact Nancy to arrange for one.

If you don't like where you are, pedal.

Remembering Susie Stephens

It's hard to believe, but March marked the tenth anniversary of Susie Stephens' death. 

For those not acquainted with her, Susie was a former Executive Director for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and the Alliance for Biking & Walking (formerly the Thunderhead Alliance).  She was a mover and shaker on the national bicycle scene, and a legend in her own time. 

I remember Susie especially today because it would have been her birthday -- and Susie loved her birthday!  She liked to organize a party to celebrate her birthday and once confessed to me that she did this because she was afraid that no one else would remember it.  Fat chance! 

Susie’s legacy lives on in many ways, but perhaps her greatest contribution was branding the work of bicycle advocacy as a national movement and giving this movement a song.  The video clip below is a testimonial to her ability to rally and inspire others.

Happy birthday, Susie.