Deceased September 5, 2018
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In Memory
Throughout Bart’s life he had a warm manner and gentle wit, charming all who knew him. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where he went to Sidwell Friends, while tending to a large Washington Post paper route. Then off to Amherst, which became dear to his heart.
After Amherst Bart went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to work toward a Ph.D. in economics, and by 1968 met all requirements short of completed dissertation. As an economist, his interest was in what lay behind relative foreign currency values—as a precursor to the euro. After Michigan he taught for eight years at Rutgers University in New Jersey, followed by four years at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He then became a personal computer dealer and freelance programmer.
It was at the University of Michigan that Bart, never having ridden a motorcycle, bought one and discovered an amazing talent for racing. Within eight years, he achieved national ranking alongside professionals, who raced full-time on faster, factory-team bikes.
How did he manage his double life? With stealth, fearing that if the Rutgers economics department knew of his racing, his chances for tenure were nil. So, after his last Friday class, he would quietly leave town in his van, drive overnight to some far-flung race course, then catch some early morning sleep in the van before rolling his motorcycle onto the track for pre-race practice.
Although Rutgers knew not of Bart’s racing, race announcers did get wind of Rutgers, shouting “Professor Myers just set a course record!”
Unfortunately, a serious crash ended his racing days in 1978.
Bob Perkins ’61, Bart’s sophomore roommate and DU fraternity brother at Amherst, made contact with Bart in his waning years, which Bart spent in central Trenton, and where he died on Sept. 3.
Craig Morgan ’62
Bob Perkins ’61