The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1947-09-04
BY wAINO HENDRICKsoN


10, and arrived in Akron at 1890
a. m. the next day; flying via
Portland, Salt Lake City, Chicago
and Cleveland
n After 20 minutes had been al
lowed for reception preparations,
we left the airport for the May
flower Hotel. official headquarters
for the Soap Box Derby racers. A
motorcycle escort with sirens open
preceded our cars. Frank was
placed on the top of the back seat
of an open convertible, wearing
his parka. The official Soap
Eox Derby band played the Cham
pions March of welcome as we
drove up, and photographers by
the dozen took pictures of Frank
Several thousand people were there
to see the Champs arrive.
Frank was soon registered and
taken to the fifteenth floor of the
/ hotel, where he and the ether boys
wera paired off, two to a room.
/ They had special dining room
I on the second floor where all their
+ meals were served. This also serv-
ed as their headquarters and meet
4 ing place. Special bellboys and
walters, deliberately uniformed
\ in scarlet with the Soap Box Der
by insignia on their sleeves, served
\ the boys.
i A complete program OF enter
/ tainment for every minute of the
/ day, from o'clock breakfast call
until 10 p. m. bedtime, was ar
ranged for ev--'y day from Thurs
day until Sunday evening
4 Trial Euns
Friday morning and afternoon
I was devoted to trial runs and
4 working on the cars. Frank was
given a set of new wheels and he
made far better than average tine
on his trial runs. The eXperts
I picked the San Diego Akron and
/ Charleston, West Virginia entries
/ as the top favorites fc' me cham
pionship. eThe Charleston and Ak
ron champs did finish firss and
j second on Derby Day.
I Saturday was devoted to enter
tanning the boys out in the coun7
try at Sandy Beach. At the amuse-
ment parks there all concessions
and rides were free to the Derby
Boys. and they had refreshments
galore. They were brought back
! to Akron in time to participate
in the totem pole dedication.
Big Day
Sunday, of course, was the big
race. The parade, with the big
Wayne University band leading the
marching units and other lands,
was really colorful sight. About
so marching units and bands were
in the line of parade. The parade
2egan at lis and finished just
in time for the races to start at
2 p. m.
The Derby was divided into IS
heats, spaced SO seconds apart wit
three cars, as a rule, in each
heat.
Frank drew place in the fourth
heat and knew that he was up
against tough competition racing
the Flint, Michigan car and one
from Rapid City, South Dakota
1 was Immediately told that the
Flint car was really hot" Frank
came in a close second in his heat,
with the Flint car the winner
Winning time for that heat was
27.0f seconds. The fastest time
for any heat in the race was 1858
seconds and slowest time was
2158 seconds, with 1876 boys racing
! Prizes
Kenneth Holmboe, Charleston
West Virginia, was the winner -
time, 26.78 seconds; second place,
Eugene Miller, Akron, Ohio; third
place, Earl Rhodes, Kent, Ohio
First prize was the four-year, all
expense college course; second
prize, a Chevrolet Deluxe Sedan.
Other prizes were awarded for de-
sign of brakes, body design and
other special features. Every 10y
received wrist watch. The prizes
were awarded at the Champions
Banquet, Sunday evening, which
was attended by over 1,700 persons.
All prizes were given by the Chew
d rolet Motors Division of General
Motors Corp. co-sponsor Of the
Derby with the greatest newspapers
of the nation.
4 Highlights of my Akron stay
were: A trip through the Good
year tire plant; visits to the homes
of some of the leading business
men; banquets, a press club party,
and, of course, the dedication of
the totem pole on Saturday eve
ring.
Totem Pole Ded Gated
Tbs totem stands in the CEN
ter of the main approach to Derby
Downs stadium and is mounted
en- a heavy concrete base, sur
rounded by a moat filled with
water and an ornamental fence, to
keep out whittlers.
The band played to open the
ceremonies. The master of cere-
monies gave history of the pole.
4,