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Soap Box Derby Hall of Fame will Induct Two New Members During Race Week

Two veteran volunteers will be inducted into the Soap Box Derby Hall of Fame during the post-race awards ceremony for the 81^st FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby on the evening of Saturday, July 21.

“The Soap Box Derby Hall of Fame recognizes the significant contributions and efforts of individuals who make it possible for the Soap Box Derby program to have an impact on the lives of young people throughout the United States and other parts of the world,” said Mark Gerberich, president and chief executive officer of International Soap Box Derby.  “The two 2018 honorees have been active and dedicated volunteers for decades.”

The 2018 inductees are:

CAROLE BERRY, DOVER, N.H.   Carole Behan Berry, 60, raced in the New Hampshire State Soap Box Derby in Dover in 1972 and 1973.  She then started volunteering for the local race organization, for which she served as board president and rally director in the mid-90s and continues as a volunteer.  In 1995. Berry became a founding member of the All-American Soap Box Derby’s Internet team, where she continues her computerization efforts for race data, including the inspection process, heat and lane assignments, timing and race results.  She became a member of the All-American Soap Box Derby’s Racing Commission (the top technical and race operations committee) in 2014, and was elected to the board of directors in 2016.  Berry is administrative manager of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

CRAIG FLURY, AKRON.   Craig Flury, 65, raced in the local race in Akron, Ohio, from 1965 through 1968.  The following year, he became a volunteer in the run-out area for both the Akron local and All-American Soap Box Derby races.  While living in California beginning in 1978, he was a volunteer for the Vallejo local race and served that organization as race director in 1981.  He returned to Ohio in 1984, and immediately became a volunteer again for the Akron local Derby organization. He was Akron’s race director in 1985, and was a board member from 1984 through 1993.  Flury became a founding member of the All-American Soap Box Derby’s A-Team technical group in 1986, and joined the Racing Commission in 1989.  Since 2015, he has been chief inspector for the Masters division racecars competing in the annual World Championships.  He is owner-operator of the Gordon-Flury Memorial Home in Akron.

Gerberich said the 2018 honorees will bring the total number of inductees to 71 since the Hall of Fame was established in 1997.