Jack Gormley

As publicity director for Chevrolet in the 1930s, Jack Gormley helped lead the early development of the Soap Box Derby after the company signed on as the first national sponsor in 1934. He traveled throughout the country to build a network of Chevrolet dealers and newspapers as joint sponsors of local Derby races and was instrumental in the design and construction of Derby Downs in 1936. He served as general manager of the All-American Soap Box Derby from 1937 through 1941. Jack Gormley died in 1980.