Conn. Bicycle Advocate Dies at 90

Earlier this year (Jan. 19), Barbara Waggoner, an early advocate for bicycling, died at age 90. Barbara and her husband Paul have resided in Guilford since 1952. After a year of living in the Netherlands during 1971, Barbara returned to the U.S. with a new enthusiasm for bicycling as a sport and as a form of transportation. 

In 1973 she formed the Guilford Bicycle Commission, and presented a bikeway plan to the Town of Guilford. 

In 1977 Barbra co-founded the statewide Connecticut Coalition of Bicyclists, and envisioned a bikeway on the Trolley right-of-way to Hammonassett Beach, which was proposed to the Connecticut State Legislature. Although her efforts were not adopted, her vision later inspired the founders of the Shoreline Greenway Trail to affectionately name her the “Mother of the Shoreline Greenway Trail.”

The Waggoner family has requested that memorial contributions be mailed in honor of Barbara’s life to the Shoreline Greenway Trail. Donations can be mailed to SGT, P.O. Box 148, Branford, CT 06405. 

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