By Susan Bickelhaupt,

Boston Globe, Monday, May 28, 1990
 

Rather than wallow in the grief over their son's accidental death, Geraldand Beverly Reuter decided to turn it into something positive.

David Reuter was a 22-year-old student at Northeastern when he tooka job as a bicycle messenger two years ago. His first day on the job, hecollided with a small truck and sustained severe head injuries. After sixweeks in a coma, he died.

The Reuters decided almost immediately to do something so other cyclistscould learn from David's accident -- he was not wearing a helmet.

They established a fund at the National Head Injury Foundation, basedin Southborough, to distribute free bicycle helmets to children throughcommunity programs, as well as educate the public about the importanceof wearing a helmet.

So far $10,000 has been raised, and Gerald Reuter was in Scituate recentlyto hand out the first installment of helmets. They went to the top 10 winnersof each grade who entered a poster contest at the Hatherly, Wamphuck andCushing Schools.

More distributions are planned in both Massachusetts and Plattsburgh,N.Y., where the Reuters live.