May 12, 2008
Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program Names Award Recipient
The Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) announced May 1st that Mr. Marlon Balkstra has received the David Ashton Boorn Memorial Award for 2008. GMSP presents this award annually in honor of David Ashton Boorn, a young motorcycle safety instructor killed in a tragic automobile accident near his home in February 2004. David Ashton was a dedicated, enthusiastic instructor that genuinely cared about his students. He displayed a positive and unselfish attitude as well as a sincere desire to share his love of motorcycling with others. Ashton was not content with "status quo" but consistently endeavored to improve and enhance his teaching skills. Marlon Balkstra was selected for this award because he is the perfect example of a dedicated, effective and student-oriented instructor. Balkstra, currently a field supervisor for the (GMSP), believes in rider education and lifelong skills enhancement as a way to reduce motorcycle fatalities in the state of Georgia and the nation. He has been an avid motorcyclist for 38 years, of which the last 12 have been spent in rider training. Balkstra began his career in rider education in Savannah, GA, in 1996 as a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Certified Instructor. Since then it has grown through state certification, BRC RiderCoach certification, and experience as a RiderCoach Mentor and RiderCoach Field Supervisor. Balkstra has previously been awarded the GMSP Instructor Achievement Award, the Instructor Award of Excellence, and most recently the David Ashton Boorn Memorial Award. He was also selected as the "Professional of the Year" in 1991 and is a graduate of Dale Carnegie’s course in human relations and effective speaking. The GMSP is administered by the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS). For more information, please visit www.dds.ga.gov.
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