[YellowBike] Origins of Community Bike program at Hampshire

[ais99 at hampshire.edu]

Hello there.

I must say, its great to hear from you, i've been asking damn near everyone I 
can about how i might find more information about you folks.

Since I started to work on this iteration of the yellow bikes, I've hard 
rumblings from faculty and staff members to whom i've spoken about the history 
of such programs at hampshire, but none have been able to offer the slightest 
clue as to what exact year it was, or who exactly started it up.

You read the second article that was written about us...the first was in the 
april 14 Sunday NY Times.  
I wanted to take the opportunity to complain that journalists are a simple 
lot.  I have told each and every one of them about the previous iterations of 
the hampshire community bikes, and not one has seen fit to include it in their 
article.  I have another article possibility lining up, in the "rails to 
trails" publication, and I'd be excited to send them your way, to get a more 
complete story.  

Please be in touch as soon as you have time to write about your program.  I 
would also love to speak with you, so as soon as I have a stable phone number 
(I am floating around a bit since school just got out.)

Thanks,
adam shapiro
ais99 at hampshire.edu

Quoting Chuck Connell <connell at chc-3.com>:
Hi everyone,

This is Chuck Connell, Hampshire 1977. I enjoyed reading the article in Non
Satis Scire about the yellow bike program. I congratulate you on doing this
and think it is a great resource for the college community. Just one small
thing.... Peter Askin and I actually started this program in 1978! We had a
workshop in the basement of Merrill where we built the bikes. I think we
painted them orange instead of yellow. I will write a longer article about
how we started, and why, with more details a little later. My family and I
are getting ready to adopt a baby from China, so we are a little busy right
now.

Best wishes,
Chuck Connell