Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 6, Issue 12, December 2002
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Village Seniors still bowling
after all these years
By LEAH WEATHERSBY
After 67 years of marriage, Judy Lovett might have expected to have husband Art, 94, all to herself.
However, she shares him with another four times a week. She's got no choice but to tag along.
"The only reason I bowl ... is that I would have been a bowling widow," says Judy Lovett, as she waits for her turn at the lane to come up.
The Lovetts are both members of a senior bowling league called the Village Seniors the group is named for its original home at the old Village Lanes at the University Village, which closed in 1995.
Today there are two branches of the Village Seniors, led by league president John Vandenberg. One branch has about 50 members and plays at Sunset Bowl in Ballard at 1 p.m. on Thursdays. The another, with nearly 80 members, meets at Leilani Lanes in Greenwood on Mondays at 1 p.m.
The group is one of several senior leagues in Seattle.
The Village Seniors admit bowlers age 50 or older. Art Lovett is currently the oldest member in fact he's been told he's the oldest bowler in the Puget Sound area. He still has a newspaper clipping from 1949 that tells of a three-game series he bowled for a total score of 727.
Of course, Lovett won't hesitate to say that 749 was actually his highest score for a three-game series at least while living in Seattle. Other members of the Village Seniors insist that scores aren't a priority.
"You go to bowling for camaraderie and fun," says George Rankin, league treasurer. "Scores don't mean a thing."
The Village Seniors league was started over 30 years ago, and the founder isn't shy about letting people know who got it up and running.
"Who built it? Fern Johnson!" she states triumphantly.
As an employee of the old Village Lanes, Johnson, now 85, would promote the alley by making cold calls, trying to get people interested in joining a league. She got several groups started that way, including the seniors.
Hanging out in bowling alleys paid off for Johnson, a View Ridge resident, at least in the early days once in the 1970's she bowled a 289 game, which she said she later learned was the highest score for any woman in the U.S. for that year,
When the Village Lanes closed, many leagues either folded or joined the Village Seniors. Betty Fulwiler, the league's long-time secretary, said it's partly personal relationships that have kept the group going so long.
"It's just a lot of being friends and bowling together so many years," Fulwiler said.
In addition to friendship, many say bowling is a good way stay active safely.
"I've never had an injury from (bowling) and I bowl a pretty heavy ball," said Pat Easthorn, 72, who joined the league 25 years ago. Also an avid skier, horseback rider and golfer, Easthorn isn't shy about sharing her average score 165 down only 5 points from her lifetime high of 170. She adds confidently, "I'll get there this year again!"
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The Village Seniors is a sanctioned league, meaning that it is part of the national men's and women's Bowling Congresses. Their season runs from September through April. New members are always welcome. For information on the Village Seniors, call Betty Fulwiler at 524-4351.