PORTRAIT OF TWO WINNERS

[Music] foreign and funny how quiet a day can be with nothing going on and nothing about to either from the looks of things and then without any warning at all you're plunged right in the middle of the biggest adventure of your life that's the way it was with dalton lee deardor who is 12 years old and lives near minot north dakota [Music] there he was just riding along on his bike when all of a sudden [Music] hey dog come here now what's he up to at this display in front of the chevrolet dealership [Music] look at this racer yeah it sure looks like fun [Music] bring one of your parents and sign up now for the 1963 soapbox derby the greatest amateur racing event in the world you build your own derby racer like this one race it in the local derby and if you win you get to compete in the famous all-american soapbox derby in akron next august yes dalton the next all-american champion could be you it could be any boy like you between the ages of 11 and 15 years with the courage and determination to try ordine junior high school in duluth minnesota classes are out for the day and the boys and girls are starting home among them is a boy we'll be watching from now on his name is harold willis conrad but most people call him bo he's 12 years old a seventh grader [Applause] okay paul we need a picture tonight how about you no not tonight i've got to get home i've got work to do gosh you said that every night what are you working on that's so important oh something okay see ya yeah [Music] bo conrad one of the best pitchers on his little league team plays trombone in the school band good student too an all-round boy this is the river where he often goes fishing of course he hasn't time to go fishing now he likes to swim too and in the winter when the ponds freeze up he likes to skate and play hockey he's a good hockey player just like his father poe's father passed away two years ago his father was an accountant but he was good with tools too he built this handsome house with his own hands it's the best looking one in the block [Music] come on well how about a glass of milk with that no not now down here in the basement workshop where his father used to work using the tools he used to use bo feels very close to his father here he labors over that certain something that now occupies his every spare moment the soapbox derby racer which he hopes will win him one of the valuable college scholarships he will need to help him finish his education there are lots of big prizes and beau never forgets what his father used to tell him whatever else you do son get an education a man just doesn't have much of a chance these days without one bo built a racer once before it wasn't much of a success he got beat in the first heat that's his father and that's his father's hockey medal beau hung it up over the workbench just for luck bo here are your goggles oh thanks mom just right now okay back in minot dalton deardorff is making some progress too at the johnson chevrolet dealership which co-sponsors the soapbox derby there mr deardorff signs dalton up as an entrant and dalton goes on his way the proud possessor of his soapbox derby kit the kit contains the official derby wheels and axles he will need to build his racer he reads the instructions carefully memorizing the rules he must follow then dalton designs his racing car by studying pictures of winning racers from years past full weight minimum cross-section maximum car and wheelbase length best streamlining there are the factors that make a winning car i think that will cover general construction fairly well in special soapbox derby clinics all over the country future champions are learning the fine points of building a racer as each boy learns for himself any boy can build a racer all he has to do is want to badly enough [Applause] [Music] there are many ways of building the body shell dalton makes his of plywood some other boys make theirs a fiberglass which they mold over forms made of wire screen bow also uses plywood for the sides bo breaks a lot of fine old traditions in building his racer for one thing he uses plenty of nails in some places instead of screws beau's method of keeping track of the weight so that he doesn't go over the limit is nothing short of ingenious with his racers traveled over two barrels he crouches beneath it on his bathroom scale and manages to lift it just long enough to get a reading 210 pounds allowing 30 pounds for the wheels which are yet to be installed that's a total of 240 pounds okay now but it's getting pretty close to that 250 pound limit [Music] with varying grades of sandpaper dalton polishes the plywood shell to a smooth surface before painting [Music] so from alaska to florida hawaii to maine and in canada okinawa the philippines west germany and venezuela in 239 cities derby day is the day when each community stages its own local races to decide the lucky boy who will go on to akron and represent his hometown in the all-american hundreds of hours of effort by countless derby workers go into these local derbies to make each one an event the boys and their parents will never forget and when derby day is over the 239 local champions which includes dalton deardorff in minot and bo conrad in duluth now head for akron and the famous all-american akron ohio no other city in the world is more ready and willing to stand itself on its ear for a bunch of boys that it likes than akron for the soapbox derby [Music] no king prince or prime minister ever got a wilder more enthusiastic welcome than a derby champ in akron this is the day when the kids are kings and the grown-ups stand and cheer [Music] after their tumultuous welcome to akron the champs are guests at derby town one of the finest boys camps in america four unforgettable days packed from dawn till bedtime with every kind of fun game in sport [Music] television's lawman john russell is there to give autographs so is singing star paul anka screen star rock hudson and comedian paul lin all in all everyone has a wonderful time pre-race days at derby downs are filled with activity a thousand and one things to get done and very little time left to do it in new wheels issued for the race have to be broken in last minute repairs and adjustments have to be made finishes that already gleam like that on a piano have to be gone over yet again with wax and polish cloth 239 cars each one the pride and joy of the boy who built it must be weighed and inspected every champion since the first soapbox derby in 1934 has gone on to outstanding success in his later life maurice bale 1935 now an engineer with general motors at muncie indiana herbert munch 1936 owner of his own business in hood river oregon on and on the list goes yes there's something about these soap box derby boys you might even say once a winner always a winner bo would like to be one of them but as he looks over the competition his hopes dim just look at all those cars it really shakes you up to see how beautifully built most of them are to bow every one of those other cars seems to look better than his [Music] with inspection behind them each boy gets a trial run down the green top track that has led so many others to fame and fortune friday night there's a big gathering around the campfire at derby town with a nice gift for every boy a watch to remind him of the hours he spent at derby town tomorrow is the day of the big race and who can sleep tonight whatever else you do son get an education a man just doesn't have much of a chance these days without one and suddenly it's derby day beneath alternating gray and blue skies derby downs is a sea of color the stands packed with excited fans and anxious moms and pops while 3 500 marchers make the derby day parade an eye-filling spectacle you'll want to give a hand to the 1963 champion 239 early champion from the united states arthur godfrey john russell and paul anka get things off to a flying start with a traditional oil can derby john russell clean 200 countries [Applause] and now to the serious business of the day as three at a time the 239 contestants in the 1963 soap box derby go flying down the long incline 975 feet from top to bottom less than 30 seconds to run it 30 seconds that can seem like a lifetime support michigan although lane 3 the winner in lane 2 robert ross of course michigan and the official time is 27.94 in wave after wave the cars go whizzing down the hill as soon as the track can be cleared three more go down how many more he's gonna go down four more yeah well you better watch it because it's fine it was a pretty tricky win okay thanks a lot yeah good luck even a downpour of rain fails to dampen the spirits of the fans and only briefly delays the race a two-car heat coming up heat 80 and lane one will be dalton deirder of planet south dakota in lane three corwin heymermans of baldwin missouri and here they come and now dalton this is it the next 30 seconds will tell the tale south dakota dalton deirdre appears in the lead now the lead changes hands coming into the stretch in lane three corwin haberman's baldwin and he's gaining on lane one as he crosses the finish line the winner corwin haverman from paul wintour and the sign is 28.91 28.91 dalton now joins the other champs in the rooting section to cheer the new winners and the race goes on that's the setup for heat number 116 the green flag is up it's down and here they come lane one hollis inman of tampa lane two harold conrad of duluth and lane three david park of toledo three speedy little cars coming right down the track here burning it up lane two duluth minnesota taking the lead plane three toledo ohio closing in there in the stretch [Applause] in lane two the winner harold conrad of duluth minnesota and the time 28.30 now it's the semi finals three top cars each one has beaten all comers number 124 getting closer to the line all the time now these boys streak down at the halfway mark in lane three el dorado arkansas in lane two coming ahead now is harold conrad from duluth minnesota playing two seems to be in the lead coming into the stretch [Applause] the winner harold conrad of duluth minnesota in lane two and the official sign is 27.75 and now the top three cars out of the entire field of 239 are taken back up to the top of the hill for the final heat the crowd watches with tense excitement for in the next few seconds one of these boys one alone will be judged the grand winner the all-american champion for 1963 who will it be bob fleury decatur john gaylor columbus or beau conrad duluth each with the world championship hanging in the balance [Music] [Applause] [Applause] yes it's beau conrad winner of the biggest and certainly one of the hardest fought derbies in 26 years of derby history mr s.e nudeson vice president of general motors and general manager of chevrolet presents the winner's trophy just the first of many awards that beau will receive harold congratulations on winning this great race you have a great car and you did an outstanding job of driving on behalf of the chevrolet motor division i'm delighted to present you with this championship trophy good luck again and congratulations thank you very much [Applause] for bo conrad this is only the beginning of the honors heaped upon him now the champs march into the banquet of champions the grand culmination of a tremendous week 2 000 people are here to cheer the new champions proud parents and hundreds of tireless derby workers who have labored long and hard to make the derby the world famous event that it is the champs hear many speakers tonight including a specially taped message from the president of the united states your achievements are an inspiration to all the youth of america best wishes and congratulations to each of you and now mr larry h averell general sales manager will enter the results of today's race into the pages of the all-american soapbox derby history book ladies and gentlemen it is now my privilege and pleasure to record into the hall of fame of your own [Applause] they're wonderful 12 year old harold conrad 63 derby champion [Applause] mr averill presents the 7 500 college scholarship and the champs ring to the new champ carol it's a real thrill pleasure to present this scholarship to you your wonderful champ in addition here is this mr april presents the first place trophy to the new all-american soapbox derby champion harold w conrad of duluth minnesota congratulations harold conrad [Applause] and when he returns home to duluth well probably no 12 year old boy in the whole history of duluth ever had such a welcome [Music] welcome home conrad 1963 soapbox champ bo's education is now assured and he has gained something that can never be taken from him the knowledge of what it's like to reach the very top [Applause] as for dalton he too is a winner he's a winner in those qualities of character which will give him an advantage all through life [Applause] though he's only 12 years old already he's somebody special he has done something that just every boy hasn't well if he sits a little straighter walks a little taller holds his head a little higher that's because he is and always will be a champion ah you