The M.O. Rush Automotive bowling team poses in front of Lakewood Lanes before their trip to a tournament in Atlantic City, March 1949. From left to right: Bill Lillard, Sonny Loy, Lynn Carter, M.O. Rush, Buddy Behrends and Don McClure. Photo courtesy of Bill Lillard
The June Advocate features a story about Bowl & Barrel, an upscale bowling alley planned for the Shops at Park Lane this fall. The second half of the story focuses on the golden era of bowling, which lasted from the 1940s to the early ’80s.
Aside from Lakewood Lanes, which opened in 1941 at Oram and Gaston, there were several other bowling alleys in the neighborhood. White Rock Bowl opened in 1956 at 10221 Garland Road. Earlier bowling alleys in the neighborhood include The Bolerina at 1520 Greenville, Gaston Bowling Alley at 2024 Abrams, and Greenville Avenue Duck Pin Alley at 2716 Greenville.
Bill Lillard, a bowling hall-of-famer who was a teammate and friend of Don Carter, is from our neighborhood and learned to bowl at Lakewood Lanes. Lillard now lives in Houston. He and his wife opened five bowling centers there, and two are still open. Lillard is a charter member of the PBA, and he was one of the first stars of televised bowling. This guy is basically like the Mickey Mantle of pro bowling. Below is a youtube video of him bowling in the 1966 Miller High Life Open. The action starts around the 35-second mark.
The winner’s prize was $10,000, and the second-place finisher won $5,000. The announcer calls it “so far the richest tournament on the PBA tour…” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, $10,000 in 1966, adjusted for inflation today, would be about $71,000. This video only shows the first half of the final, but Lillard eventually won, 215-206.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBDR7HV0zP8[/youtube]
