Obituary: Lawrence Grodsky / Top American expert on motorcycle safety
July 8, 1950 - April 8, 2006
Lawrence Grodsky, a nationally known motorcycle safety expert and author who taught thousands of riders to handle themselves on the roads, died Saturday on his bike in Fort Stockton, Texas, after being hit by a deer.
Lawrence Grodsky and his girlfriend, Maryann Puglisi, in August 2005 as they prepare to leave Washington, D.C., for a ride through the mountains of Virginia.
He was 55, and had been on his way from a safety conference in California to Pittsburgh for his mother's 85th birthday, said his sister, Marcia Grodsky.
"Larry was the most talented, experienced and competent motorcyclist in the country, but this is the one thing he knew he couldn't do anything about," said his girlfriend, Maryann Puglisi, with whom he lived in Squirrel Hill and Washington, D.C., and who helped run his business.
"Just a few weeks ago he said to me, 'That's how I'm going to go, it's going to be a deer.' He could deal with all the idiot drivers, but at night when a deer jumps in your path, that's it and he knew that."
Mr. Grodsky gave private and group lessons all over the country through his Pittsburgh-based company, Stayin' Safe Motorcycle Training. He also led trips in other parts of the world.
In 1988 be began writing the Stayin' Safe column for Rider magazine, a monthly publication based in Ventura, Calif.
"Larry made motorcycle safety interesting every month for 18 years," said managing editor Donya Carlson. "He had quite a loyal following. We're all still in shock."
For the remainder:http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06101/681096-122.stm
Lawrence Grodsky
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