RIDDLEWOOD SWIM CLUB, INC

BUILT in 1957

"The Impossible Dream"

The Arters Brothers (builders of Riddlewood) donated the land on which RSC stands in honor of their mother. A Riddlewood resident, Jack White, dreamed of doing something for the children in the neighborhood and he formed a committee to explore ideas. Can you guess the result? Yes, a beautiful pool with land, a changing house, a concession stand and baseball fields. Dedicated men and women who had a dream and saw to it that the dream became a reality built what you see today.

The man who set the plan in motion was Jack White. In 1956, Jack presented a plan to RSCA to build the pool and set up recreational facilities for 500 children. At the meeting there were 102 families in attendance and 91 percent accepted the plan. A committee was formed to contact each and every member of the community and sell them stock at $350.00. Soon 175 shares of stock had been sold. Bidding began on the pool and it was found that construction for the pool would be about $120,000. To help defer costs, it was decided that community men and women would do much of the work required. At the time, the community had engineers, doctors, insurance men, construction men, salesmen, and may "do it yourself" people. Most of these men were GI's with young families.

By February 1957, the work began. The crews consisted of work parties from 2 to 40 men who worked every Saturday and Sunday and every evening until the pool was opened. One hundred and fifty trees were cut down, a stream was diverted, and the course reset, men dug with shovels and climbed trees and list goes on. Also, the original Riddle pump house was rebuilt by Bill Clanon and Howard Jenkins both construction engineers. John Grasso and Ken Hutchinson worked on the electrical components.

The women worked too. Women carried wood and materials. They made sandwiches and gave out drinks. They came with hot coffee and cheered the men on. Nazz Mariani was instrumental in saving the community money with the construction. To date the total cost of the project did not exceed $50,000, because of the dedication and hard work of many men and women who were original owners to Riddlewood.

Jack White went on to become the First President of Riddlewood Swim Club, which opened its doors on June 16, 1957, Fathers Day.

Thank you to all men and women who continue to keep the vision that Jack and Friends held in 1957. God Bless RSC! Be a Volunteer!