Edward Waldheim, Founder of Friends of Jawbone (FOJ)
Ed was well known for his work in the West Mojave desert, and not surprisingly he took a most interesting trail in getting there. Born in San Francisco in 1938, Ed and his family moved to Argentina when he was ten years old. He grew up farming and it was then he first rode motorcycles, an activity that would become his life-long passion.
In his early twenties, Ed returned to the United States and served in the Army before making Southern California his home. Soon he bought a well-used scrambles motorcycle and took up racing in the desert. He formed the Clean Sweep Racing Team in 1976, and was the 1977 Desert Open Senior Champion. He won over thirty trophies racing with D.R.A., C.R.C. and AMA District 37. He raced the Check Chase, the California City Grand Prix, and at Adelanto among other events.
Although Ed also made his mark living and working in Glendale for many years, in 2004 he took up permanent residence in California City in Eastern Kern County to be close to the Jawbone Canyon OHV riding area. He'd been volunteering with the Bureau of Land Management's Ridgecrest Field Office for several years prior to that and wanted to live where he could have direct access to the desert he loved.
Ed passed away at his home in the desert on December 9, 2019, after a long but remarkable and courageous battle with cancer, a warrior to the end.
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