Gypsy MC
The Gypsy MC is one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in the world.
history
The club was founded by Lee Simerly of Maryville, Louisiana (USA), or his sons. From 1960 to 1964, Lee's son Jack Simerly, known as Papa Jack, ran the club. The Gypsy MC grew and slowly evolved into a criminal organization . In 1966, Papa Jack reorganized the club to improve the battered public image of motorcyclists. To distinguish it visually from the so-called outlaw motorcycle gangs , who wear a black leather or blue denim vest (the so-called cowl ) as standard , the members of the Gypsy MC have to wear a golden yellow vest in the style of the Mississippi Gambler Vest, which is still mandatory today is the unchanged trademark of the club.
The GYPSY MC became a member of the American Motorcyclist Association and the Texas Motorcycle Riders Association . From 1973 there was a massive expansion of the club inside and outside the United States . Chapters (independent local subdivisions) were created in Louisiana , Texas , New Mexico , Oklahoma , Kansas and Florida as well as in Mexico and, since 1983, in Germany .
In 1986 Pappy Jim took over the position of international president from Papa Jack . From 1994 to 2001 Bert Lynch, known as "Erdin-Erdin", was Chairman of the Board and International President at the head of the Gypsy MC. From 2001 to summer 2014 the club was run by HAP Simerly, a son of the founder. This in turn handed over the management to his son Jim Simmerly (road name "Roadrunner"). It currently consists of 65 chapters with more than 1900 members.
In 1982 members of the American armed forces brought the gypsy ideology to Göppingen . The first German chapter was created there. In 1983 - through the influx of German members - the Augsburg , Munich and Detmold chapters were founded . In the following years there were both new foundations and closings of local groups, mainly in the southern part of the Federal Republic. In Germany today only two chapters are active.
Name and symbols
In 1932 motorcyclists were considered to be outsiders to society and in view of the economic crisis in the USA at the time, the members of the Gypsy MC were given the nickname “society's sour cucumbers”. From this, to this day almost unchanged worn "cucumber badge", called "Pickle Patch" was Backpatch .
The writing is outlined in red, the writing itself is black on a white background. Since at that time the emblems were still painted on by hand, the font characteristic of the Gypsy MC was created, the contours of which were created using the dabbing technique of a brush.
The back patch and the name GYPSY MC are protected by trademark law. The additional patch "GFFG" means "Gypsy forever - forever Gypsy" and is intended to underline the durability of the membership.
literature
- Bill Hayes : The Original Wild Ones , (Motorbook) Chapter 27