Theodore Werle was a man committed to stopping the \u2018white plague\u2019; tuberculosis, consumption, TB, whatever you called it, it took a devastating toll in the early 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But before he became a leading anti-TB warrior, Werle was just another Wisconsin kid who loved the outdoors. The problem was that getting there was definitely not half the fun. \u201cThe labour of getting to a favourite spot was so great,\u201d he once said, \u201cthat it fairly annihilated the charm.\u201d Enter his \u2018motorcycle man\u2019 \u2013 local HarleyDavidson dealer \u2013 and the longing was now satisfied. By 1911, after hearing from lecturers and survivors of the devastation that TB wrought on families and towns, Werle had joined the Wisconsin AntiTuberculosis Association (WATA) in the fight against the terrible disease. Werle and his WATA colleagues travelled the state to provide lectures and the occasional lantern slide show to the public. In the summer of 1911, Werle covered six counties on foot, horseback and rented buckboards. Not that he minded the various tasks his mission required, later noting: \u201cGroom, teamster, wagon boy, exhibit rustler, speaker \u2013 all were a thrill. But there had to be a better way \u2013 and Harley-Davidson provided it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to legend, a fast-talking WATA middle manager named Otto Bradley may have talked Harley-Davidson into donating a bike to WATA. Motor Company co-founder Arthur Davidson was so impressed with the organisation, he invited Werle to the factory and presented him with a new bike. More bikes were to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In return, Harley-Davidson gained the ability to promote the relationship. The agreement even provided a means of testing new parts and components, something today\u2019s engineers refer to as durability testing. The motorcycles were commonly branded on the front of the fuel tank with the WATA logo, the double-armed cross now recognisable as the logo of the American Lung Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before long, the \u2018flying squadron of health\u2019 began rolling into towns all across Wisconsin, displaying an impressive array of gear. Perhaps first was a box of literature, ready to hand out to the masses. A simple white bed sheet also doubled as a projection screen for stereopticon lantern slides when night fell. If no table was available for the projector, the motorcycle luggage rack worked just as well. The projector light was provided by the \u2018Prest-O-Lite\u2019 acetylene gas tank that normally lit the bike\u2019s headlamp. Werle himself continued to camp between stops \u2013 not just for economic reasons but because he loved the great outdoors. Other WATA workers followed his example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By early 1915, Werle proudly reported from the stage at the Majestic Theatre in Milwaukee that Wisconsin had the lowest death rate from TB in the U.S. \u2013 while making sure his motorcycle was on stage to share the credit. Even among other state anti-TB associations, the Wisconsin health campaign was known for its high level of organisation and mobility. It was later believed that Werle personally recruited more than 500 local campaign managers across Wisconsin alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In later years, one author dubbed him the \u2018Knight on the Gasoline Steed\u2019. As a side benefit, Werle also became quite an expert at the art and science of motorcycle touring. By default, he was a tester of H-D\u2019s very first touring accessories, including luggage racks and saddlebags. In 1915, Harley-Davidson published a guide authored by Werle entitled Camping Hints When Touring With a Motorcycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s unknown when WATA ceased the use of motorcycles, but by the mid-1910s they had already struck a major blow against a terrible disease. Between 1904 and 1919, the national mortality rate from TB dropped 33 per cent. By 1954, TB in the US was under control. The national and regional associations evolved into today\u2019s American Lung Association, now combating multiple health threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theodore Werle would have been proud \u2013 and no doubt inspired \u2013 to take a celebratory ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n