Soap Box Derby Directors – By Jack Coll

Soap Box Derby Directors

A Special Breed

By Jack Coll

July 1, 2015

     Well Mark Marine, Conshohocken’s Soap Box Derby Director, is un-doubtly pulling his hair out right about now, Mark’s got a lot on his mind, work, home, children and grandchildren, and yea just to keep him out of trouble we really should mention that yes he even thinks about his wife once in a while, but not this week.

     Mark is one in a short line of derby directors Conshohocken has had over the years, it takes a special kind of person to shoulder the responsibilities of running this event.  As a director of anything, particularly an event dealing with children, the entire soap box derby event is built around the safety of the children with no wiggle room for chances.

     So it’s four o’clock in the morning, all week, and Mark’s rolling over thinking about the safety of the racers, is it gonna rain and what about the safety of the kids, Mark’s rolling every night of the week thinking the same thing.

     Conshohocken has been extremely fortunate over the years, drawing national and international attention to our borough through the National Derby headquarters in Akron Ohio.  Our racers have had great success in recent years and it has always started here, on the Fourth of July.  Our race could never be run without hundreds if not thousands of great volunteers from over the years.

     Eddie Moore took a keen interest in the borough’s derby back in 1951, the soap box derby race held on Fayette Street just months after the Philadelphia Phillies lost the World Series to the New York stinkin Yankees. Eddie watched the race with interest.  Eddie was one of many borough leaders back in the day, while he conducted an automobile dealership at Twelfth and Fayette Streets he had an itch for the welfare of the borough that he called home.  Moore didn’t just take an interest in soap box derby racing but was one of the original members of the Urban Redevelopment Committee when it formed back in 1959.  That committee formed more than half a century ago is directly responsible, with some other leadership along the way for the borough we live in today, that’s right, all the tall office buildings, the new homes being built and sold for $400,–600,000 today.  Well More took over the Derby in 1952, sanctioned what was known at the time as “The Greatest Racing Event in the World for Boys.”

     Although the official Soap Box Derby had been running since 1933, it would take more than four decades before females could participate, I mean after all a girl could never drive a soap box derby car and a girl certainly could  never win the race, (I’ll get back to you on that one let me just check the records).

     But giving credit where credit is due, we run the race today because of the efforts of Eddie Moore all those years ago.  Well early on Conshohocken’s John F. DeHaven’s American Legion Post sponsored the race and in 1953 they appointed Calvin Rigg as Derby Director.  More than 50 boys competed for the many, as the paper called it “Valuable Prizes” back in 1952.  Valuable prizes included flashlights, shorts, shoes, compasses, and so on.  Valuable prizes were solicited from each and every merchant on Fayette Street and they usually donated what-ever it was that they sold.

     A year later Bob Burt took over as the director and in his twenty years of running the derby he advanced the race into a borough wide event that attracted thousands of spectators to the track on the Fourth of July.  Burt was at the helm when Conshohockens first African Americans participated in the race and the first females were permitted to race, which by the way Conshohocken didn’t wait for a court order to allow females to race which was handed down in the mid 1970’s, Burt allowed females to race as early as 1972.  Burt owned and operated the Forrest Street Garage located at Second Avenue and Forrest Street.  From time to time under the sponsorship of the American Legion Post, they would name an honorary director and in 1958 Clarence Slater, a former Commander with the post was assigned to assist Burt in 1958.  Francis Rodenbaugh, who was the man pulling the starting gate for many years was also named assistant director in 1963.

     If I remember correctly I think Mike Dennis took over as derby director sometime in 1975 before his father Mickey Dennis took over the director post from 1976 until he stepped down in 1982. It was during these years that the Knights of Columbus sponsored the race.  Mickey was all about soap box, he loved everything about it.  Mickey had a soft spot for the under-dog, kids who could barely afford to race and kids that couldn’t afford it at all, Mickey typically found a car for a number of kids along the way fulfilling borough children’s dreams of racing on the Fourth of July.  Mickey was a character and a good man, many of us in the soap box derby circle miss Mickey as does the rest of Conshohocken.

    And then there was Lou Nicolai, heart and soul, all in.  Lou had a way of telling you no when you wanted to deviate from the plans, typically if you wanted to change something, Lou would say it once and say it loud, “NO.” A typical conversation with Lou usually went something like this, “Hey Lou, once the paint goes on the car the car might by one sixty fourth of an inch over the length limit, is that okay? “NO.”

     Lou ran a tight ship and represented our race and community well.  During the 1980’s at the international racing event held in Akron Ohio every August Lou Nicolai and Conshohocken was recognized twice for running the best race in the country, twice!  That’s saying something considering that many of the racing towns have raced nationally since 1934, and have never been recognized with that honor.

     It was also around 1982 when the Conshohocken Ambucs took over as race sponsors.  The local Ambucs was formed in 1979 and have done great things in the borough for more than 35 years.

     It takes a man with passion for the sport of soap box derby racing to be a director, and there couldn’t be a better man with more passion that Mark Marine who took over as director in 2000.  Of all the directors mentioned above, you would be hard pressed to find one of them with more passion than Mark.  He not only runs a first class race in Conshohocken but has been deeply involved with the international race held in Akron Ohio.  George Rodenbaugh also served as area director and was very active over the years at the international race held in Akron, Ohio.

     Mark Marine will have a lot of help for this year’s race including John and Leo Costello, Ralph Barnes, Mark Marine Jr., and of course Bob Bonneau.  The officers in charge of actually running the race include Ann Marine, Lynn and Maryann Costello, Elizabeth Costello and numerous other members of the committee.

Other people involved in making Conshohocken’s race successful over the years include Eddie Moore who we mentioned above, his brother Bill Moore, Eddie Meyers, should mention Walt Cherry for his soap box work in Swedeland, Chris and Whitey Nasielski, Dennis and Peter Moore along with other members of the Conshohocken Ambucs, including Davie Bowe Vince Flocco and John Scharff.

     This year’s race will be held on Fayette Street on Independence Day Saturday, July 4^th, the race starts at 9:00 A.M. with more than 30 cars participating this year.  Good luck to all of this year’s drivers and may the best driver win.