Illinois Manufacturers' Association Education Foundation

June 28, 2022 

Springfield, Illinois — Former Brite-O-Matic Manufacturing, Inc. President Lynne Mohr loved Illinois’ manufacturing industry, and she loved Monty Python. 

Her cousin George Maurer embarks on a quest to honor both July 9-17 with his “Big Sky Bicycle Ride Ireland & the U.K.: Second Annual Lynne Mohr Memorial Bike Ride.” 

What’s all this, then? 

Maurer will again ride to raise funds for The Lynne Mohr Endowment for trade scholarships at the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Education Foundation, which helps fund post-secondary education for Illinois students pursuing the trades that Mohr respected and supported so much. The goal is to raise another $15,000 for the Lynne Mohr Endowment — no shrubbery necessary.

This year, Maurer and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association invite others to undertake a one-day activity-related fundraiser of their own. Participants can direct contributions to the GoFundMe set up for the benefit, found here.
“The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is proud to honor Lynne Mohr and continue her legacy of supporting women and men interested in pursuing a career in the trades,” said Sarah Hartwick, Vice President of Education & Workforce Policy at the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Her passion for manufacturing will continue to live on in the scholarship recipients who will benefit from the funds raised during this ride. We are honored to carry on her commitment.” 

Maurer, a Minneapolis-based musician and adventure bicyclist, raised $30,000 with 2021’s “The Big Sky Highway Ride Home,” the first Lynne Mohr Memorial Bike Ride. He pedaled the 1,700 miles from the Brite-O-Matic headquarters in Arlington Heights, Illinois to Mohr’s vacation home in Eureka, Montana, doubling the fundraising goal for his inaugural ride to honor the legacy of Mohr, who died Aug. 23, 2020 from complications related to liver cancer. 

Watching Monty Python movies helped Mohr get through some of the rough days after her diagnosis, and Maurer knew she would want laughter to be part of her enduring legacy. This year’s logo has a decidedly Python presence, with the “Big Sky Bicycle Ride” lettering in the Monty Python font, “Ireland and the U.K.” in the Knights Who Say Ni font and graphics that have a hint of the Holy Grail. 

Mohr was deeply committed to the Midwest manufacturing industry and served on the board of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, the unifying voice of manufacturers at the State Capitol regarding issues such as tax policy, environmental regulations, health care reform and labor law. She worked at Brite-O-Matic, the specialty car wash systems manufacturer founded by her father William Gasser, from age 14 through her retirement in 2018. When Maurer approached her immediate family about dedicating his next rides to a cause important to her, a manufacturing-related benefit was an obvious choice. 

The 10-day stretch earmarked for the Second Annual Lynne Mohr Memorial Bike Ride is part of a nearly 2,000-mile, 40-day trek that will take Maurer through Scotland, where much of the legendary “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was filmed,  England, the setting for most of “The Meaning of Life,” as well as Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales — steering clear of the Bridge of Death, Gorge of Eternal Peril and cave guarded by the dynamite Rabbit of Caerbannog. His route through the heart of England, where the Industrial Revolution began, is a nod to Mohr’s manufacturing roots. 

This is the ninth of Maurer’s annual epic bicycle journeys, which have covered 20,000 miles and raised close to $100,000 for various causes. Mohr always contributed generously as Maurer rode  through countries including Iceland, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and inspired his virtual edutainment program “Tales from a Bicycle Seat.” 

Raising funds for a scholarship fund in Mohr’s name is Maurer’s way of honoring the unfailing generosity she showed him and the unflagging optimism she showed even as she faced a terminal illness. As Python Eric Idle so famously sang in “The Life of Brian,” “Always look at the bright side of life.” 

Donations in support of George's expenses (food & lodging) for the duration of the 2nd Annual Big Sky Bicycle Ride can be made at Venmo.com:  @George-Maurer-1