VALDOSTA — A memory he carries with him four years later, Wes Dollar led the pack on a bike that belonged to his father, the late Ricky Dollar. 

Fifty-two bikes occupied the Wendy’s parking lot on Bemiss Road Saturday to make the 100-mile trip to Adel and back as part of the Fourth Annual Ricky Dollar Charity Bike Ride.

“Thanks, dad. We’ll ride for you,” Wes said during the opening ceremony.

The charity ride raised roughly $1,700 for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. There was lunch at a Wendy’s in Adel. 

During the opening, yellow balloons were released in memorial by Ricky Dollar’s family and there was a blessing of the bikes preceding kickstands up.

This year’s event was also held in memory of 72-year-old Steve Thomas, a former Wendy’s employee who had a stroke while sleeping June 15, according to organizers.

Before his passing Nov. 14, 2014 following five bypass surgeries, Ricky Dollar was vice president of operations for Wendy’s and he oversaw many local stores, including one in Adel, according to his family.

The 60-year-old died while in the hospital. Wes said his dad also operated many of the Atlanta Bread Company stores.

“He was a small guy, but he had a very large presence; genuinely loved to help people achieve their dreams, and to help them foster their goals,” Wes said. “He was a great mentor, great coach and a great father.”

Ricky Dollar began working at Wendy’s in May 1976 flipping burgers and working his way up the food chain, according to family members.

Wes said he was one of the first hires for the North Ashley Street location. Martha Dollar said he begged a doctor to let him out of the hospital to reopen the Five Points location after a remodel.

Ricky’s wife of 35 years, Martha Dollar, said her husband was the smallest giant in the room adding that he cared about everyone.

“He looked at people he worked with like family, and he worked harder than anybody I know these days,” Martha said. “He left the biggest hole on the planet.”

Ricky was a road captain in the Southern Cruisers Riding Club. One of the last things he did before entering the hospital was riding with his bike club, Martha said.

One memory club members offered was the tale of Ricky’s “Unlucky Duckie.”

If a rider failed to get their bike back on the road after it broke down, he or she would have to carry a yellow duck on their bikes until another rider’s bike broke down, according to club members.

They said Ricky would sabotage his own bike to keep the duck after falling in love with it.

“I even offered to pay them money to have formal adoption papers drawn up because Ricky loved this duck enough,” Martha said.

Gerry Russo is the director of operations for Donaldson Enterprises Wendy’s. He said though the bike ride has existed for about 10 years, it was held in Ricky Dollar’s honor after his passing.

“(Ricky) wanted to make sure that we were doing things that were in the community, and he loved to ride … Ricky was definitely the lifeblood of everything that we did at Wendy’s while he was with us,” Russo said.

Upon returning from Adel, organizers held an auction to raise money. 

Wes said though this is a tough time of the year for the family, the charity ride provides an opportunity for them to remember who his dad was and to see the lives he touched.

“It’s neat to see him remembered in this way, and I know it is something that he would be really proud of,” Wes said. 

During the run, the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club recruited members for a new chapter to be opened in Valdosta at a later date. 

Amanda Usher is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1274.