Pack 166 Pinewood Derby - February 28, 2009 2008 Pinewood Derby Review 2008 Pack Standings download THIS MS Word file Seneca District Pinewood Derby - April 25, 2009 download Seneca District Registration PDF file download Council Pinewood Rules

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Don Murphy, 1918-2008

Don Murphy, founder of the pinewood derby, died July 1, 2008, in Torrance, Calif.

As Cubmaster of Pack 280C in Manhattan Beach, Calif., in 1953, Murphy was seeking a project for his son, who wasn’t old enough to participate in the Soap Box Derby. Murphy had built model airplanes, cars, and boats when he was a kid in La Porte, Ind., and hit upon the idea to create a miniature version of the Soap Box race.

Murphy designed a small car carved out of soft pinewood, created the rules, and named the event. The Management Club at North American Aviation, where he worked, sponsored the first derby, paying for wood and other materials.

“Originally, the block of wood we included in the kit was carved down in the forward third to a kind of cockpit,” Murphy told Scouting magazine in a 1999 interview. “We put the wood, wheels, and nails into a brown paper sack with an assigned number.”

Cub Scout dads built the original ramp — 31 feet long — with a battery-operated signal at the finish line made from doorbells and flashing light bulbs to identify the winner.

The concept caught on. Within a year of its debut, the pinewood derby had been adopted for use in all Cub Scout packs. Estimates suggest that more than 100 million Cub Scouts have participated in the event over the past 55 years.

Murphy recalled that he wanted “to devise a wholesome, constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition.”

Mission accomplished.