Founder of Chance Mfg dies peacefully at 88

[Zamperla]

Founder of Chance Manufacturing, Richard "Harold" Chance, dies at 88
Wichita, KS 07/13/10, Brandon Bushman

Richard “Harold” Chance, founder of the Chance Manufacturing Company, passed away on Saturday July 10, 2010 at age 88.

Born on September 25, 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, he was the youngest of three children. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Chance; son, Richard Chance; daughters, Susan Chew, Judy Nielsen, and Nancy Stadnyk; sister, Mary Van Scyoc; thirteen grandchildren; eleven great-grand children; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other friends and family.

After graduating from Wichita North High School in 1939 in 1939, he worked in manufacturing as a welder and tool and die maker until 1944. At this point, he was drafted into the US Army where he served during WWII in the South Pacific, being honorably discharged in May 1946. Later that same year, he married Marjorie Westwood. Simultaneously, he and his wife raised five children and started the Chance Manufacturing Company by building miniature trains. By the time he retired in 1985, the company was the largest manufacturer of amusement rides in America and one of the largest in the world. To this day, you cannot visit a fair without seeing one of his rides like his famous Zipper creation.

For this and many other contributions to the industry, he was inducted into Halls of Fame for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA), and the Showmen’s League of America. He also created the AREA Amusement Rides Safety Seminar in 1971, which continues to be used by the Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers Association (AIMS).

[Dazzleland]

RIP Richard! Your creations will still live on!