Herman “Tex” Finsterwald II of Grand Blanc, Michigan, a 2006 inductee into the International Soap Box Derby (ISBD) Hall of Fame, died on Friday, July 12. He was 81.
Tex’s long-time love of Soap Box Derby began when he raced as a child in Flint, Michigan in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he became director of the Flint race program and served in that role for two decades. He later was a member of the ISBD Rally Commission and a Regional Director. He devoted decades to encouraging youngsters to participate in Soap Box Derby racing. In addition to his support for gravity racing, he was a long-time fan of the Indianapolis 500.
Tex was a graduate of the General Motors Institute and spent more than 30 years as an industrial engineer at GM’s Fisher Body operations in Flint. Tex had what is considered to be the nation’s largest personal collection of Soap Box Derby artifacts and memorabilia. He was pre-deceased by his wife Janet and is survived by his son, Mark Finsterwald, two grandsons and sister, Lynn Croll.
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