By ROBBYN INGRAM
STATESBORO, Ga.— A Georgia Southern University alumnus, who is also the Director of Communications for the American Historical Racing Motorcycle Association visited a journalism class Friday, May 18, in the GSU campus.

During the informal question-and-answer interaction in the News Reporting and Writing class, Peggy Cozart, 45, shared her passion for vintage motorcycle racing, discussed her career experience and current role as Director of Communications for the AHRMA, and highlighted some of her personal memories from GSU.

Cozart was en route to Sylvania, a small town near Statesboro, for a dirt track racing event that evening. She also used that occasion to visit her alma mater.

Cozart’s appearance in the class served as an opportunity for students to explore the techniques for interviewing and writing a story.

The 1984 GSU Alumna reminisced on fond memories of her time on campus. “When I was here, it was called Georgia Southern College with only about 6,500 students,” she said. This small figure is no comparison to GSU’s nearly 18,000 student population today.

“Some things are still the same though,” she added. In her lunch earlier in the day with Department Chair Pamela Bourland-Davis, Cozart enjoyed a chicken finger basket from Dingus McGee’s, a popular eatery on campus. She laughed about the limited options that were available at that time and told the class that “Dingus was the place to go—it was a step up from Wendy’s.”

Cozart earned a journalism degree with a minor in photography. After graduation, Cozart concentrated on her work as a free-lance photographer for weddings and portraits primarily. Her work has appeared in various newspapers, magazines, and other publications.

It was in 1988 when Cozart received her first big break. That year, the Democratic Convention was being held in Atlanta. Her position at the time as the head of the Photography Department at Georgia State University allowed Cozart to get her foot in the door.

Cozart was awarded a position in the photo lab of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Her part-time job at the AJC was only intended to be a brief two week stint, but it ultimately turned into six years with the newspaper.

“Any little connection is likely to pay off professionally,” Cozart said. It did. Cozart’s credentials include experience from the AJC, several public relations agencies in Atlanta, and numerous publications for the Mercer University Atlanta campus.

For nine years, until recently, she also worked as an instructor for the Showcase School of Photography in Atlanta, a non-credit learning environment for adults. Currently, she is working her dream position as the Director of Communications for the AHRMA.

Her job description includes contributing approximately one-third of the material for Vintage View, the magazine for the AHRMA, in addition to other aspects of the AHRMA Communications department.

She explained her responsibilities as “handling every aspect of publication from selling to advertising.” Other duties include publishing the racing schedule, updating the content on the organization’s website, sending out press releases and monitoring the billing accounts—“stuff I don’t like to do,” she added.

Cozart is the only representative from the department, which can be stressful at times. “I have a lot of freedom, but I do work with an Executive Director and a board of trustees,” she said. “I don’t know how I get it all done!”

Cozart credits her interest in motorcycles to the first bike she received at age 8. “I was extremely interested in anything with wheels—that’s what we did for fun in the 70s,” she said. Her passion for vintage racing later developed after she came across an article concerning vintage motocross racing nearly 10 years ago.

According to Cozart, vintage motorcycles are those manufactured between 1975 and up. Bikes from the mid-80s are now considered vintage as well because of the “various eras of technological advancements,” as she put it.

She also explained that vintage bikes are grouped together according to each bike’s performance ability. Premiere bikes range from the mid-60s and up, Classic bikes are roughly between the years of 1965 and the early 70s, and Sportsman bikes are any that are up to 1975.

Cozart describes the group of racing enthusiasts she has affiliated herself with as a subculture. “Most people in the organization have between 10 and 20 bikes. I have 10,” she said, “I think of it as a living museum.”

Cozart said AHRMA is a non-profit organization of 5,000 members who buy, sell, trade, and race vintage motorcycles. “It is essentially a club,” she added.

Financial support comes from the annual $45 membership dues, in addition to the money collected from members who want to participate in any upcoming racing events. Racing fees are typically $35 to enter, but can range from $35 to $100 depending on class.

The AHRMA is the largest vintage motorcycle association in the United States. However, according to Cozart, there are similar international organizations in Europe and Australia.

“This nostalgic group of people are emotionally connected to these old bikes,” Cozart said of her fellow AHRMA members.

Cozart explained that the AHRMA is an organization of majority older men that range from their 30s to even 80s. “Most of our riders are between their 50s and 60s, and of course, the one or two over-80 members ride for free,” she said.

Cozart has no complaints about working in an environment composed mostly of men. “I would feel more weird in a quilting organization surrounded with women,” she said.

“I’ve always had an independent streak, so I don’t really think about it—I’m used to it. It’s very rare that I encounter conflict; more so comradery.” There are very few women who participate, according to Cozart, “we only have about 25 to 30 women a year.”

Although AHRMA is an organization of primarily men, it does offer some programs that cater to women. Cozart mentioned the beginner workshop for women who were interested in learning how to ride dirt bikes sponsored by the organization earlier in April.

As much as she loves racing, Cozart admits that she is not a fan of NASCAR. “I’m not particularly interested in car racing, it’s too much about the technology,” she said.

The GSU alumni shared a memory of riding her Honda Street bike around campus in Statesboro, “parking was has always been a problem,” something that is still true today.

The Dekalb County native reemphasized that vintage motorcycle racing is a passion. “I’m not concerned with the technological superiority of the bike, rather the emotion attached to the old bike.”