MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. -- The RV Safety Education Foundation will take over Gaylord Maxwell's Life On Wheels conferences early next year, although final details are still being worked out.

Official announcement may come as early as Friday, but sources say the move was prompted by 83-year-old Maxwell's desire to slow down.

Peggy Waterman, program coordinator for Life On Wheels, feels RV Safety is a perfect fit for the educational conferences. "Gaylord wanted to ensure the program was taken over by a group that was committed to and believed in education," she said.

Started in 1994, the conferences help prospective RV users choose the right RV, then they help RV owners learn how to use the units to their fullest. The change in ownership will not affect any of the five conferences planned for 2007, Waterman said.

Waterman currently works for the University of Idaho, one of the founding organizations that developed the conference curriculum. She will retire soon and then become an independent consultant helping to organize the confrences, at least through the transition year. The university will continue to oversee registration and the collection of money. But the day-to-day activities for Life on Wheels will soon be handled by Walter Cannon's staff at the RV Safety Education Foundation.