Muriel Farrington 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. The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America congratulates Muriel Farrington of White River Junction, Vermont, as a Friend of the Marque.
Unlike most motorcyclists who begin riding at a young age, Muriel didn’t develop her love of riding motorcycles, and BMWs specifically, until she was 58. With the encouragement of friends, Muriel enrolled in a motorcycle safety class and soon after received her motorcycle license. She has been accumulating miles ever since and only seven years later, eclipsed 100,000 miles on BMW motorcycles.
Shortly after Muriel began riding BMWs, she joined both the BMW MOA and the BMW Motorcycle Owners of Vermont.
With the BMW Motorcycle Owners of Vermont, Muriel has served in many capacities, including Newsletter Editor, Secretary, and as their President for seven years. Muriel has also served the Vermont Club as Co-Chair of the Green Mountain Rally for four years and Co-Chair of the “Puppy Dog Ride.” She has also served as a Board Director for the Yankee Beemers. Muriel’s other BMW MOA chartered club affiliations include the Yankee Beemers, BMW Riders of Southern Maine, and the Chain Gang, a club dedicated to chain-driven BMWs.
With the BMW MOA, Muriel was elected to the Board of Directors in 2007 and has served as Board Secretary for nine years. During her tenure, Muriel’s stated goals were to be an example to aspiring riders of all ages, especially women, and to promote rider education and safety. As a Board member, Muriel has served on the Communications, Events, and Volunteer Committees.
Muriel has ridden to every BMW MOA International Rally over the past 17 years, regardless of location, and has been a valuable volunteer offering her time and talent as Publicity Chair, Electric Charging Station Chair and Rally Newsletter Editor, as well as being a featured speaker and seminar presenter.
Muriel has always made herself available to MOA members through her participation in the annual Progressive International Motorcycle Shows, local club meetings, MOA Getaways, and Rallies. Muriel has also been a frequent contributor to BMW Owners News.
To recognize her significant contributions to the BMW MOA, Muriel was honored with the title of “BMW MOA Ambassador” to recognize her outstanding service to the organization, its chartered clubs and its members. The BMW MOA Board of Directors appoints ambassadors from nominations submitted by the membership.
As a rider, Muriel prefers to ride alone and camps whenever possible. When she was married, Muriel’s husband was in the US Army, which meant the family lived in many bases across the country and because of that, Muriel has friends all over the United States. By traveling by motorcycle, she can visit family and friends while seeing the natural beauty of America and visiting communities she has never seen before. While on the road, Muriel enjoys sharing coffee and conversation with the people she’s never met.
It’s not unusual for Muriel to leave her home in Vermont and travel across the United States to visit her son in California or her daughter in Ohio. She has ridden in all lower 48 states as well as Canada.
In early January 2020 and at 78 years old, Muriel was recognized for the significant feat of riding 300,000 miles aboard BMW motorcycles. While many trips have contributed to that high number, her most memorable was a 9,000-mile solo trip from her home in Vermont to California and then back riding through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and then home through the mountains of the eastern United States.
While Muriel usually does have a destination in mind, she has said that she usually “follows her front wheel” to get there, and unless she’s headed for a friend’s home, she often doesn’t know where she’ll spend the night.
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 marque than Muriel Farrington. Congratulations Muriel on your recognition as a Friend of the Marque.
