• October 11, 1999
• Vol. 52
• No. 14

Simply Marble-Ous

Cathy Runyan-Svacina Has the Perfect Game for the Well-Rounded

Some collectors are so obsessive they seem to have lost their marbles. Not Cathy Runyan-Svacina. She definitely has all her marbles—about a million, in fact, one of the larger collections in the world. Not to mention marble lamps, marble jewelry and marble board games. Or her marble-centric world view. "We're separated by race, wealth, education," she says. "In marbles, none of that matters."

There was a time when every kid, it seemed, played marbles. Runyan-Svacina, 46, who grew up in Ventura, Calif., was no exception. "I was fascinated with the colors and design," she says. Years later she had all but forgotten about her marbles when one day her own kids—she has five, ranging in age from 17 to 25—found them. "They didn't know what they were," she says. "This wonderful sport was in danger of dying out."

Not if Runyan-Svacina has anything to do with it. Since 1982 she has been on a one-woman crusade to rescue marbles from the trash heap of toy history: filling her Kansas City, Mo., home with them, giving lectures and demonstrations to anyone who is interested—from nostalgic retirees to Cub Scouts—and writing a book, Knuckles Down! A Fun Guide to Marble Play. "I figure," she says, "that I've taught a million people to play marbles. It's a wonderful way to bring people together."