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Patricia Starr is a lot of things to a lot of people.
She’s a 74-year-old woman of unending energy and enthusiasm.
She’s a woman who wanted to pursue a dream of bicycling across America and give back to her community.
Seven years ago, at age 67, she accomplished both by pedaling to raise $22,000 to establish a perpetual $1,000 yearly music scholarship at Santa Barbara City College.
She is now embarking on a 4,000 mile bike trip around the United States this year.
Starr and her husband, Gabriel Gonzales, began her latest odyssey Friday at the International Peace Gardens on the North Dakota-Canadian border at 11 a.m.
The couple stopped in Devils Lake early Friday evening in her endeavor to promote senior health and fitness and raise money for the benefit of music education.
This journey will cross seven states and encompass 4,000 miles.
It will boost her mileage to 10,000 by a woman who first crossed the country in 2004 at the age of 67.
She’s also a guest performer at various New Horizons International Music Association band groups, the latest of which is in New Zealand.
Her biking tour also includes music performances.
Her ongoing quest landed her an interview on Fox News and many other media outlets.
She’s a concert pianist, a native of Nebraska, and a true lover of the Midwest.
The music group she currently belongs to involves 180 bands in an ongoing quest to raise money.
“They’re free bands,” she adds. “We just ask for donations.”
“These are all well-to-do players and all walks of life. They’re also very prominent people.”
Her husband of 15 years often finds himself questioning what drives her.
Her upbringing and training are a couple of things, but her story is so remarkable, the Associated Press once tabbed her story a “hoax.”
She was actually trained by “America By Bike” and that structure and intense training coincides with her musical ambitions.
“I’ve learned to go one day at a time and not give up,” adds Starr.
She symbolizes health, fitness and energy, and stresses that point at music festivals like the one she was at Friday at the Peace Gardens.
She was on the cover of “Radius” magazine, a shot of her pedalling across America at the age of 67 to benefit young scholars.
Starr also has a paperback book out entitled “Angel On My Handlebars,” with much of the photography handled by her husband.
Ironically, she is so physically fit and trim, she can wear basically the same size clothing she wore in high school.
And now, at age of 74, she’s going the longest distance she has ever undertaken on a bike. That in itself says a lot about a woman whose challenges only get bigger as she gets older.
Starr was a Ms. Senior California in 2006 and Ms. Senior Nebraska in 2008.
She has had a day named in her honor in Nebraska since 2008, marking her many achievements.
She’s positive, upbeat and revels in meeting people, especially from the upper midwest.
Her honors and recognition are almost too numerous to mention. She’s an ambassador of womens sports and fitness in Nebraska and been tabbed an ambassador of Wahoo, Nebraska.
She’s been tabbed an inspirational, miracle person.
Patricia Starr is a lot of things to a lot of people.
She’s a 74-year-old woman of unending energy and enthusiasm.
She’s a woman who wanted to pursue a dream of bicycling across America and give back to her community.
Seven years ago, at age 67, she accomplished both by pedaling to raise $22,000 to establish a perpetual $1,000 yearly music scholarship at Santa Barbara City College.
She is now embarking on a 4,000 mile bike trip around the United States this year.
Starr and her husband, Gabriel Gonzales, began her latest odyssey Friday at the International Peace Gardens on the North Dakota-Canadian border at 11 a.m.
The couple stopped in Devils Lake early Friday evening in her endeavor to promote senior health and fitness and raise money for the benefit of music education.
This journey will cross seven states and encompass 4,000 miles.
It will boost her mileage to 10,000 by a woman who first crossed the country in 2004 at the age of 67.
She’s also a guest performer at various New Horizons International Music Association band groups, the latest of which is in New Zealand.
Her biking tour also includes music performances.
Her ongoing quest landed her an interview on Fox News and many other media outlets.
She’s a concert pianist, a native of Nebraska, and a true lover of the Midwest.
The music group she currently belongs to involves 180 bands in an ongoing quest to raise money.
“They’re free bands,” she adds. “We just ask for donations.”
“These are all well-to-do players and all walks of life. They’re also very prominent people.”
Her husband of 15 years often finds himself questioning what drives her.
Her upbringing and training are a couple of things, but her story is so remarkable, the Associated Press once tabbed her story a “hoax.”
She was actually trained by “America By Bike” and that structure and intense training coincides with her musical ambitions.
“I’ve learned to go one day at a time and not give up,” adds Starr.
She symbolizes health, fitness and energy, and stresses that point at music festivals like the one she was at Friday at the Peace Gardens.
She was on the cover of “Radius” magazine, a shot of her pedalling across America at the age of 67 to benefit young scholars.
Starr also has a paperback book out entitled “Angel On My Handlebars,” with much of the photography handled by her husband.
Ironically, she is so physically fit and trim, she can wear basically the same size clothing she wore in high school.
And now, at age of 74, she’s going the longest distance she has ever undertaken on a bike. That in itself says a lot about a woman whose challenges only get bigger as she gets older.
Starr was a Ms. Senior California in 2006 and Ms. Senior Nebraska in 2008.
She has had a day named in her honor in Nebraska since 2008, marking her many achievements.
She’s positive, upbeat and revels in meeting people, especially from the upper midwest.
Her honors and recognition are almost too numerous to mention. She’s an ambassador of womens sports and fitness in Nebraska and been tabbed an ambassador of Wahoo, Nebraska.
She’s been tabbed an inspirational, miracle person.
