Spirit of Jack Marston by the Roake Family

Participating in the 2005 Glen Ellyn Boat Regatta started as a whim with my 10 year old son, Alex, in February. After many days of deliberation and much sweat on the part of my husband Scott, we began constructing a boat in the middle of June. Once we had the shell of the boat we needed a theme. We knew the theme of the 2005 Glen Ellyn Fourth of July festivities had to do with volunteers of Glen Ellyn, so automatically we thought of one of the most dedicated and beloved volunteers we have ever known: our neighbor, Jack Marston. Jack was a person who taught all of us how to be an important part of our community. It was a unanimous decision amongst the parents and children who participated in the boat to name the boat in honor of Jack.

Thus, our boat was called “The Spirit of Jack Marston”.

The boat held six boys wearing the rainbow soccer shirts that Jack loved and the hats from Glen Ellyn Baseball that he was commissioner of. The boat had a soccer field theme with grass and cones. The boys had a wonderful time at the Regatta, and they and their parents also passed out postcards and bookmarks about the “Run for Jack” in October 2005. The boys were able to explain that this race is to raise money to help fund research to find a cure for melanoma. I think they even learned a little bit while having fun.

We were also very fortunate to be asked to be in the 4 th of July Parade and ride behind the Glen Ellyn Park District float where Jack was so active. A truly wonderful experience was had by all. We know we had an angel looking down on us and we even think Jack might have been laughing his wonderful laugh with us.

The boys who participated in the Regatta were Zach and Alex Roake, Alex Petro, Sam Gibson, Jake Droessler, and Zach McCormick.