MY LIFE LONG fascination with cars ......

I discovered cars first.....

Little RSH in his Soapbox Derby in Des Moines, Ia. Front page R&T newspaper 

 

My fascination with cars started with my soapbox derby that I built at a very young age. This picture of me appeared on the front page of the local newspaper, the Register & Tribune in Des Moines, Iowa in an article about the up coming race. I made my soapbox derby car out of burlap fabric stretched over a wooden frame and air plane-doped, like a model airplane.

The building of a soapbox derby was very important experience teaching me some of the most valuable lessons in my young life.  My step-grandfather, who was an auto mechanic at a local dealership for many years, advised me throughout the building of my soapbox entry.

He taught me two very important lessons. The first one was to always visualize a project finished before you start.  And second, no project is so insurmountable or so great that if you break it down into little pieces, attacking the project a little at a time, experiencing the satisfaction of accomplishment daily, and one day, your final goal is realized.


The best and the fastest doesn't always win is another lesson I had to learn for myself on that race day. I came in SECOND......(after beating the Winner in the warm-ups the day before).

The view from the Capital hill, DM, Ia