Susanna Parkhouse named Friend of the Marque

The responsibilities of the BMW Clubs International Council encompass many things. Some of their duties include promoting the continued growth and vitality of established BMW Clubs and umbrella organizations and providing guidelines and administrative assistance on the formation of new BMW Clubs. The Council is also the official conduit between BMW Clubs and BMW AG through the BMW Club and Community Management office.

Worldwide, there are about 700 officially recognized BMW clubs with more than 200,000 members subdivided by continent and region. One of the most important functions of the Council is to recognize individuals who have been nominated by their clubs for high levels of service and dedication to the BMW marque through their Friend of the Marque and Professor Dr. Gerhard Knöchlein BMW Classic awards.

While the Knöchlein award honors individual club members who have significantly contributed to conserving and promoting the history of the BMW brand, the Friend of the Marque award is given to individuals who have exhibited an extraordinary personal commitment to the BMW brand.

Last spring, the BMW MOA Board of Directors submitted a recommendation to the Council to recognize Susanna Parkhouse (#56786) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, as a Friend of the Marque, citing her high level of passion for the BMW MOA and BMW motorcycles since joining the MOA in the early 1990s.

Susanna began her service to the BMW MOA in 1993 when she was elected to serve on the MOA Board of Directors. Since that time, she has also served in many significant roles at BMW MOA International Rallies.

In 1994, Susanna served as the Local Arrangements Chair for the MOA International Rally in Moodus, Connecticut. In 1996, she served as the Registration Chair for the MOA International Rally in Morgantown, North Carolina. Then in 1998, with her husband Matt, Susanna served as the MOA Rally Chair in Missoula, Montana. At that rally, Susanna was also named a BMW MOA Ambassador. The BMW MOA Ambassador program honors members for their outstanding service to the organization, its chartered clubs and its members.

Continuing her service to the MOA, in 1999, 2000 and 2001 Susanna served as Rally Consultant and during those years, she spent extensive time working with past rally chairs to create the first BMW MOA Rally Manual, a significant task that culminated in a several-hundred-page document serving as the organization’s guidebook for many years and helping Rally Chairs. Additionally, since 2005 Susanna has served as the Chair or Co-chair of the MOA Rally Seminar and Door Prize committee.

Outside of Susanna’s work for our annual rally, she is the editor, photographer and a contributor to Matt’s highly successful Keep ‘em Flying column appearing each month in BMW Owners News.

At the local level, Susanna has served the Pikes Peak BMW Road Riders as secretary and newsletter editor, and she is still highly involved in the success of their club campouts, picnics and fundraisers.

Along with Matt, Susanna travels the world on their vintage BMWs, and when she’s not traveling, Susanna entertains guests from all over the United States at their home while Matt services their bikes.

Few other members of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America have exhibited a higher level of dedication and support to both our membership and the BMW brand than Susanna Parkhouse.