The Spa Road Runners WRITTEN BY JOHN R. GREENWOOD
Spa Road Runners Plaque
National Hot Rod Association patch that graced the front of the jackets. Notice motto, “Dedicated To Safety”
Ed Stevens holding up his cousin Cliff Steven’s original Spa Road Runner jacket.
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Photo taken at the Saratoga Springs Police Station March 1955 Saratoga Springs Police Sergent Jack Stevens is the man on the far right in the cardigan, white shirt and tie. I believe this was the day they received their official NHRA Charter. It required a police officials signature. (From left to right, top to bottom) Fourth Row- Jerry Ellsworth, Ed Stevens, Ken Shrader, Earl Clark, Ron Strader, unknown, Chuck Hodgson. Third Row -Bill Braim, Cliff Stevens, Roy Carr, Bill Rohling, Jim Coleman, Jim Davis, John Potter, Burt Bryant. Second Row- Royal Dyer, Irving Weiss, Jim Carr, Bill Dubee, Sergeant Jack Stevens. Bottom Row— Barbara Pace, Veronica Stevens, Helen Bryant
othing excites a history sleuth more than uncovering an old story that's been buried under layers of forgotten memories. This is one of those stories. My instincts tell me that once word gets around, its branches will continue to bear fruit deep into 2021. In the early 1950s, a group of employees was gathered around the garage of the old Quevic Vichy Plant on Excelsior Spring Avenue when they decided to form a hot rod club. According to one of the club’s founding members, Ed Stevens, this is when the "Spa Road Runners" hot rod club was born. The club would continue to meet in that Quevic garage for a decade. This story found the light of day thanks to Ed Stevens. I've known Ed since 1974 when I worked for him at the old Saratoga Dairy on Excelsior Ave. I visited him at his Maple Avenue home in August 2020 to discuss an unrelated history project. We were sitting at his kitchen table when he handed me a group photo of the Spa Road Runners. He asked if I'd ever heard of them? My eyes widened as I told him that I had not. I then assured him I wouldn't be leaving his house until I did. Ed went on to name all but one of the men and women in that car club photo. Along with Ed and his wife Veronica, there were familiar names like Jerry Ellsworth, Jim Coleman, Helen Bryant, Ron Strader, and Bill Rohling. These were
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the young faces of people I would come to know or do business with later in my own life. There was a lot of Saratoga history here. Names like Bill Braim, John Potter, Chuck Hodgson, Royal Dyer, and Jim Davis. There were other members Ed mentioned who weren't in the photo. Many of those names were familiar too; Art Wadsworth, Fred Bunnell, and Roy Carr. I even found that former Saratoga County Sheriff Jim Bowen had been a Spa Road Runner. I knew right then I'd struck a vein of story-gold. Ed said they started the club because hot rodding was thriving in California and had begun to take hold on the East Coast. It seemed like the perfect time to add Saratoga Springs to the list. Many local hot rodders worked at the Quevic Plant, so it's not surprising the club's roots took hold there. Ed stressed that Plant Manager John Weber's support was instrumental in the club's success. Although Ed couldn't confirm the group photo's date, Saratogian articles led me to believe it was March of 1955. That's the month the club received their National Hot Rod Association Charter. For a club to be registered, they needed the local police department's support and a police sergeant's signature or higher. Saratoga Springs Police Sergeant Jack Stevens is the man on the far right with the white shirt and tie. Ed and I believe the photo was taken at the police station on Lake Avenue. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
