I am a beating heart mended by great men and women. I am the spirit of a long line of freedom fighters, hard workers, and dream chasers. I am the culmination of years of lives, including this man right here. My great grandfather, Jes Lassen has sparked a heritage in my family that I will fight to live on far after I'm gone.
The photo above marked the day that Jes dug his feet into American soil. His father fled Denmark with Jes in hand, escaping what would have been a tragic fate in war. After emigrating from Denmark to the United States, he ended up in the small town of Kansas called Atchison. A town where if you blink- you miss it.
In America, Jes exercised his freedoms with all that he had. Jes was known as “the man you don’t mess with”. He scooted around on an old Army Harley, and had gun and knives always slung around his hips. He even traveled the nation as a Wall of Death stunt rider.
And later on in life, he met my great grandmother, Mary. She was as sweet as could be, and sucked the hell raising soul right out of him. They raised six kids on a farm together. And the story lives on through who the Lassen’s are today.
This legacy is the one I hold dear to. I've found out that in life, your legacy is established not by you, but how others will remember you. His story shows the spirit that has passed down through my grandpa, my dad, and onto me. Freedom, risk, adventure, hard work, and love. This is tradition.
Thank you, Jes, for giving my family the heart to be free, and sometimes wild and crazy. Thank you for starting a legacy of motorcycling that would last longer than imagined, and create purpose in those that came after you.
My family members are my heroes. I am who I am because I come from them. And I could never ask for anything better.