Introduction to Early Rogers City, Michigan Bowling
                                                 by Robert Zinke      

In the years from 1937 through 1950 there were very few articles published in the Advance.  Bowling was something foreign to Rogers City's residents.  Upon its main introduction it would be a case of it getting into the blood of the people to succeed.  I maintain the beginning of the main shot, in the Bowling Arms began in the time period I stated above.
     
I dedicate this story to four main people who I feel had the greatest persuasion  in  accomplishing this.  As you read the story I think you will see some or many ways to agree with me.  Did Bowling become important in Rogers City?   Well I venture to say there are more people that participate in this game then any other forms of ‘games’.  "Why?"  Because it is a game that begins shortly after the crib and carries through to the final sleep.  Bowling is enjoyed by more people in the U.S. than any other activity.    Participation can span a lifetime.   I am excluding the card game Spitzer.   Spitzer surely  may be more popular in Presque Isle County.   Spitzer I believe is the greatest four-handed card game out.   What other card game can keep you in the dark of who is partners, or play by yourself, and have a separate score to win.

The first man is Frank P. Buza.   I refer to him as the “Father of Bowling” in Rogers City.    Why such a title for this man?   First off, we are speaking allegorically.  Frank along with his silent partner Clarence (Chief) Mertz took a venture and borrowed money to build a Bowling Alley.   Neither were bowlers, but investors.   In the Lanes was also built an office for Frank Buza to utilize.   I don't really know all his business ventures, but insurance was one.   People would come into his office daily.   His main objective though was to make bowling successful in Rogers City.   He indeed did tender it along with wisdom, which led to growth.  Without Frank’s tutelage it would have been later before bowling would move forward in Rogers City.   So Frank Buza is Rogers City’s “Bowling Father.”
   

The second man is Francis (Bud) Kasperski, “the nephew” (figuratively).   He was hired by Frank to be the bowling instructor, league organizer, and operator of the Bowling Alley.   He received his wings growing up in Alpena and was a great bowler.   He had a personality to fit the job.  His abilities were the engine that put bowling in Roger City into the race.  I just can't esteem Bud enough.

The third man is Irvin Bannasch.   I refer to him as the “Son of Bowling”  in Rogers City (figuratively).   Why such a title for him? Sometimes a son  who carries on from a father is the main cog.   He really made Bowling   Blossom and Bloom.   Irv got a good education in Detroit in its bowling  Heyday.  When he along with his father-in-law Paul Hopp bought the Lucky Strike Recreation.  He certainly had great credentials. After a stint in Alpena, leaving the Alleys in Paul Hopp’s hands, returned in 1970 and Bowling began to flourish, and he put it on the map in Rogers City.  His Bowling love may be hard to parallel.   Yes, the “Son of Rogers City Bowling.”

The fourth man is Dennis Bannasch.   He indeed was the “Grandson of Rogers City Bowling” (figuratively).   Carrying on now from his experience, Rogers City began to produce Bowlers that achieved 700 series, lets say like Duck Soup.   Even 800's were attained, and 300's flowering beautifully.  Yes indeed, Rogers City Bowling from its Blooming stages, produced a good crop of Bowlers.    I appreciate having been a small part of this Seed.  
Dennis' untimely death 24 February 2001 in a bowling rack accident, certainly hurt me as well as the entire Rogers City populace.   Measure Dennis though in his years and he accomplished much.   Let’s say a thousand years in that span.  All four of these men did their job. I say thank you.                                                                                                           

 

                     THE LITTLE PINSETTER OF THE ROGERS CITY 1940'S
                              Robert "Bob" Zinke
    
This is a story that I wrote, and was published in the Advance beginning in Dec 1992, and ran for 16 weeks.  This additional writing is being done in 2003.  I had a lot of fine comments on it.  Some supported what I wrote and said, "Fine Job".  Others lamented about the Bowling Alley's beginning.  It was because of this division that I wrote this story, and of course, it is good history also.  Some questions arose to how I could remember this, after all I wrote the story from the time I was 10 years old and plus.  In defense of a 10 year old’s memory, it certainly can be pretty good and accountable, as there aren't any of us who don't remember things at that age of life, particularly, when enjoyed, by what it is all about.
 

According to a write up in the Advance, the Bowling Alley opened up in October of 1940 with its Grand Opening.   According to my story it began operating already in October of 1937.  Why such a big difference?  I contend it was investment savings, and debt owing that brought this to be. The new owners, Frank P. Buza and Clarence (Chief) Mertz,  were investing into a chance of bowling becoming a success in Rogers City. They first bought the lot from the Michigan Lime Co. on a 4 year note as shown in records of 1936 and that it was paid off in 1940.   It always remained listed as a lot till then, which required less tax to pay. 

In 1937 the bowling alley was built and opened in October of 1937 ( to be honest with you it may have had construction beginning in the summer of 1936).   Now this is really going out on a limb.  I will comment on this at the very end of this story.  The grand opening was postponed until October 1940.  This isn't uncommon to have Grand Openings later.  If you think about it, you will recall some Grand Openings held after a facility was already in use.  Here is another reason, and maybe the best.  Bowling leagues throughout the U.S. would join the A.B.C. (American Bowling Congress).  They do have a rule that you are not to bowl in a non-sanctioned league.  If you did you risked being reprimanded by A.B.C. and never able to bowl in a sanctioned league again.   Many of the bowlers at that time also risked being expelled from bowling in Alpena if they were bowling in Rogers City where Leagues were not sanctioned.  This meant for these years Rogers City remained in stillness to protect these bowlers.  Finally in the 1940-41 season there was enough teeth in the bowling of Rogers City to go ahead and sanction with A.B.C.   So upon this feat the Grand Opening took place.  Any averages or accomplishments made up to that time are not recorded in A.B.C. log keeping.  Okay, that’s the spin, and I have nothing against the differing years of when bowling began in Rogers City.

I am not trying to belittle any integrity of anyone, but rather hold to the History of this Great Establishment – the Bowling Alleys of Rogers City.   As one man put it to me,  “Bob, the bowling alley, was your second home.” Yes indeed it was.  I LOVED IT.
       
I am sure most of you would wonder who I am, and what my credentials are to make a factual report on this part of Rogers City History.

I will begin by saying, I was raised on, what was then Friedrich Street, the first son of Herman and Bertha Hardies Zinke.  The Bowling Alley was easily viewed through our kitchen window.  I seem to recall construction to began on it in the spring of 1937, and it opened up in the 1937-38 season. Frank Buza and Chief Mertz were partners in this endeavor with Frank Buza being more in charge.  Frank hired Francis Bud Kasperski to run it and to be the bowling instructor.  I recall bowling going on till the wee hours in the morning.  On some nights the sound would carry to our house.

During the 1938-39 season, sometime in early March, I rounded up some money and went in and bowled my first game.  It was a whopping 52.  I was ten years old at the time and in the fifth grade.  My second attempt was 101, almost doubled it.  Now bowling was in my blood.  Toward the end of the season on warm nights the pin boys would open the back door and I was there quickly observing the situation.  I pleaded with Hank Modrzynski to let me try to set pins.  He finally relented, and there I was grabbing one pin in each hand and filling up the rack.  Now a big jump and I would grab the handle to pull the rack down for the setup.  Hank then went further and let me set for women bowlers, full lines.  He would pay me two cents and keep two cents for himself.  A very good capitalist idea, wasn't it?  The other pin boys followed suit and I was on my way, earning money, so I could throw that bowling ball.

At the end of the season Frank Buza stepped out of his office to survey the events.  Here, he saw this little kid on alley six, knee-high to a grasshopper, setting pins.  He looked and watched for a long while.  By now I had learned to pick up three pins at a time, so the bowler was never waiting.  At the end of the night he asked the pin boys what that little kid was doing setting pins back there.  They informed him not to worry, that I was doing just fine.   He then said, “Well all right", But You Boys Watch Him, So He Doesn't Get Hurt".

It wasn't long before I became a favorite of Frank.  He began letting me watch the foul line. This job paid thirty cents.  That's right, there was a foul booth where present day alley one is.  I would climb three steps or so and sit in a chair with six electrical switches in front of me.  When a person fouled, I pushed the switch and a buzzer would sound and a light would light up on the lane of the infraction.  Yes sir, I was now a judge for two hours.  One time, Benny Berg complained that his foot was in the air.  Today you would get away with that.  Back then, the minute the black line was violated you would push the buzzer, also on alley one, if you put your hands on the wall past the line, it was a foul.   Modern bowling is so electronic today that I wonder how many people today know the old foul line history.  By the way the math says I was able to bowl two games for the 30 cents I earned.

At the beginning of the 1939-40 season.  Frank was conscious of my pin setting abilities, and saw to it that I was paid the full four cents a line, filling in for pin boys.

When the Bowling Alley first opened the pin boys  were paid 3 cents a line, as long as they set pins for each other they could bowl free; this was before I came on the scene.  Frank and Chief changed it to four cents a line, and the pin boys had to pay 15 cents a line to bowl.  The pin boys originally had green jackets inscribed with Pin boy on the back. Again before my time, but I did see a few jackets being worn, when I started. 

 The real big thing though was when Frank told me to let him know in advance of when I turned 12 years old, so a Social Security Card would be waiting for me.  Upon this event, I was assigned a lane on Tuesdays and Fridays.  My birthday was on March 25.  This was 1940.   Now I certainly remember this just as well as I remember that I made my confirmation vows at St John’s Lutheran Church on April 6, 1941.  Both of these are most important dates in my life March 1940 and April 1941.   According to the information given to the Advance the Bowling Alley's construction didn't begin until April 1940.  I paid into Social Security from March 25, 1940 until June 30, 1987.  Another point of logic is, I believe they could not have accomplished this construction of seven lanes and the entire compound ready to go in that day and age, in five months time.   Friday was the big night for the pin setters, as it was double league night. The Bi County League was the late one, and its notable team was Hillman. Everyone hoped to draw this team for it always meant a tip from Bill Green and Doc Kile who would throw a coin down the lanes to us. It was after this season, that Doc Kile began his practice in Rogers City, and then became a mainstay on the Dodge Bowling team for years.   Bill Green was our State Representative to the State House at that time. According to oral knowledge and the Advance, Frank Buza ran for this Office in 1936 on the Democratic Party, but evidently Bill Green came out on top.

Saturday mornings were Payday, and after receiving our pay, it was down to our pits.  Now came the job of steelwooling our pins that meant checking the league pins over for cracks and bad spots, and sorting round bottom pins out for squaring up on the lathe.  The steel wool would restore whiteness to those wooden pins.  Yes, wooden pins back then and believe me, they didn't have the bouncing qualities of today’s pins.  Sometimes a pin would split and go flying, or plain just go flying without splitting.  They were the one, three, eight, nine, and the one, two eight nine set ups left.  If the one pin was hit just right it would clip the eight pin, or nine pin depending which was missing, then the two or three pin.  Sometimes if a pin was hit just right it would go flying out over the pit.  We always warned each other if such a danger was present.

This may be the spot to tell of the time Bob Yerks got pinched with a bowling pin on his lower buttocks. It began to bleed profusely, and he had to go up front. Dr. Frank Buza got out the bandages and menthialate, and in the little storage room, Bob Yerks became the first public mooner in Rogers City, as Dr. Buza administered the remedy.

In the early part of the 1939-40 season, before I turned twelve years old, I bowled a game with Art Kandow on old alley one. Behold, I got four strikes in a row and the rest of the pin boys joked with Art that I would bowl 200. Art's remark was that he would pay for it if I did, feeling confident that I wouldn't.  I scored 211 and now I knew what bowling really was.   Do you suppose I would ever forget such a feat? I had not quite turned twelve years old at the time. I had accomplished a 200 game in a little over one year’s time.  I know it sounds impossible. It did happen. It was before I received my Social Security card. I was still “knee high to a grasshopper”, but I was getting a good handle at throwing the bowling ball. A halfway decent fluid throw and confidence in the spot you are shooting at can be done by little and big people).

Naturally, we pin boys did a lot of bowling amongst ourselves, and one of our games was called High-Low in the Fifth Frame. The high and low man would be partners, squaring off against the two middle men, always the losers paid. Another game we had was The First Three Strikes. If five men out of the six, would strike in the first frame they would battle it out till the first three strikes were established. Yes, it was possible to go to the tenth frame before partners were established, again losers paid. We also bowled in head-to head combat, with the better bowlers spotting ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and yes, even fifty pins a game. In the beginning I received spots, but the reverse was true as I became better. I remember spotting as much as fifty pins a game. It was fun and you learned to deal with pressure, which in latter years I was able to apply to all the areas of life.  In those days, you were never considered a full-fledged pin boy until you climbed up the ladder behind Alley Four and Five. This ladder was wood slats nailed to the vertical 2 by 4's to be able to get into the upper portion of the Bowling Alley. Once you accomplish it, it was “duck soup”.

Now it's time to write about Bud Kasperski. Bud came from Alpena and rented a room from Mrs Ferdelman. On occasion he would bring Mrs Ferdelman's daughter into the alleys and treat her to bowling. Mr Ferdelman was a well respected teacher in the local school system. He was a very good bowler and it was just great that he was the first to bowl a 700 series in Rogers City. I can remember the match as I was setting pins that night.  It came down to the last half of the third game, everyone know he had a chance for it. The bowlers and pin boys were all rooting for him to accomplish the feat. The cheers kept sounding out as he kept striking and drawing ever closer to the goal. Finally, the last strike and the roar in the alley was one of great joy. The 700 barrier had been broken. I am not sure if it was  the 1940-41 season or the 1941-42 season. . World War II then came upon us and Bud was drafted along with many of the older pin boys. I will write more on his return for the 1945-46 season.

Norman (Penny) Hoeft was a great bowler and his brother in-law Phil Nowicki Sr, along with Frank Buza made a trophy for him. It was a pair of the most ragged bowling shoes you ever saw, encased in glass. The inscription inside stated:  THE SHOES I WORE BOWLING A SCORE SO HIGH,  THAT EVEN I, WHEN TELLING OF IT AFTERWARDS, MAY NEVER NEED TO LIE.  There it sat on the counter for years for everyone to see.

Good ole Penny, on a Thursday night, was fighting mad and began throwing strikes. I just came into the lanes from a night at Richardson's Dairy Bar when Penny threw his seventh strike.
Richardson’s was our bobbysocks hang out for teenagers. A plug for the benefit this place had for us is immeasurable. Along with great ice cream, which he made from his machines, and a little dancehall in a backroom with a Juke Box for nickel plays was a great combination. There were chances to learn dancing.  I normally always gathered with Luella Thomas and Joyce Meyers in the back booth. Always anyone who went into the dance room had to pass us. This always was interesting as people chatted with us as they went by. Back to Penny. Then  the eight, and  ninth, right smack into the old One--Three Pocket for nine strikes in a row. All cheering had stopped, as he approached his tenth frame on old alley four. All of us hoping Penny could get that 300 game which had been eluding this establishment. The tenth ball is buried into the pocket. The sweat is now appearing  on his forehead as he lines up and moves forward. Finishing his four step approach, he lays it exactly one third from the right hand gutter and number eleven is history. Now for ball number twelve. Are those old trophy shoes going to carry Penny to his ultimate goal?   Penny began moving to the line, and fires the Ebonite, with butterflies in his stomach he never experienced before. I began to holler, "Cross over ball, Cross over", for Penny had dropped his ball a little left of his mark. The ball hits high on the Brooklyn with the four and seven, being clipped slightly by the two. They teeter and fall down . The six and ten are clipped a little by the three pin and finally the ten topples , but the six pin didn't quite have enough wiggle and it stays standing. A six pin away from a perfect game. Give the man a new pair of “Trophy Shoes”. Hurray  for Penny with a score of 299. Penny was a strong  175 bowler in those days of the wooden pins. Penny was just a great man around the lanes. ever encouraging and giving us pointers on what he knew about the game He truly was an honorary man in Rogers City's Bowling History.  After Penny caught his breath he went up for a coke. Along with it Frank gave him $ 30.00 as a prize. This happened in the 1943-44 season.)

World War II now turns the Bowling Alley into turmoil opening up the 1941-42 season. Many of the original pin setters have graduated and are drafted. Frank's nephew, Jerry Matuszewski not only gives up Alley one, but gives his life in our service as did Melvin Krusch. Bud Kasperski is gone and will return for the 1945-46 season. Frank now gives me complete charge of Alley One along with my brothers.  My brother Eugene reminded me that I had this Alley along with Wally Haske to begin with.  Wally and Frank had a bit of a dispute and Frank laid him off for awhile. This is then when Alley One became mine and was taken care of along with my brothers Bill and Gene.  Bob Yerks is given Alley Three and it's a new look down in the pits. Norm Glosser is elevated to counter boy, taking over for Eddie Przybyla who  began working for his father.

I begin a Saturday afternoon pin boy league during the 1942-1943 season.   We  have four teams and I am President , Treasure, and Secretary all in one. I was a much improved bowler now bowling my share of 200 games. In fact, I now had to spot any pin boy in  head-to-head combat, yet I fell short of a 160 average for the year.

Tony Przybyla and Paul Hopp always liked math games with teams from out of town, like Alpena, Petoskey , and Cheboygan. They would play each other on a repay visit basis. Bob Yerks and I had made a name for ourselves as Ace Pinsetters, and the men would request that we be the pin setters for these matches. I believe it actually gave them more confidence when we set the pins. Bowlers knew that a good pin setter always double and triple cocked the racks to insure a good setup. If the bowler didn't like the setup he would ask for a reset, which would mean jumping back into the pit and re-rack till perfect.

Tony and Paul used their energy in getting match games for out of town and also going to tournaments out of town.  Paul Hopp was a fiesty small bowler . Tony dwarfed him when it came to size.  Paul was an equal average to Tony and could bang 4 in a row his share of times.  Paul was also co-owner with Irv of the Alley for years.  He also ran the lanes for some time. When bowling he liked his cigar and when things began his way he could roll that cigar and grab it with his hand and urge the team forward.  I believe his contribution to the early years of bowling in Rogers City merit consideration into the R.C. Hall of Fame.  Anyway I recognize it.

At the end of the 1942-43 season, Frank asked me to get a team up for the Friday night league for the 1943-44 season. Eddie Bruski was to be our sponsor. Eddie was a businessman rooted in Posen and operating in Presque Isle County. The new season opened up with Benny Smygelski being elevated to counter boy as Norm Glosser had quit. I rounded up a team consisting of Eddie Przybyla, Royden Schefke, Phil Nowicki Jr, Leonard Kowalski, and myself.  Leonard was the son of Sheriff Kowalski, who was Sheriff for some years in Presque Isle County. We bowled for the Bruski Products, and it didn't take us long to gel together as a team. Father Dan would come down and keep score for us as long as his church duties wouldn't interfere. Father Dan, the few years that he was in Rogers City, threw the finest bowling ball of any of the bowlers. He always averaged between  182 and 184, which was a great average back then. After living life, to now, 75 years and thinking back to that time, I believe the Clergy of the Church  should have done more of this. Pastor Weber of St Michael’s Belknap also bowled and even played in the Baseball Leagues.  For me this was always impressive that Priest or Pastor would take time to co-join with us while we grew up. Young people needed this even outside of its own run church activities. Thanks Father Dan and Pastor Weber.

Back to our team, we took the first and seconded half without any trouble. Our team also had high team game and series. I had high individual series, but Eddie Przybyla  (pronounced like Chabela) was still hanging on with 229 for high game, with six weeks to go. On this night, things were normal as I opened up with a 178 game missing a baby split in the first frame. The second game going into the tenth frame I had a five bagger up and a chance to take over high game. Disaster struck and I left the five pin bucket on the left. I spared it and filled it out for 228, short again.  Father Dan said, Bobby, just keep doing what you have been doing, and don't worry.  I opened up the last game with seven  in a row. I can still see Leonard Kowalski looking and smiling at me, as I sat at the end of Alley Two bench. I went on to make three spares and finished with a strike for 255 and a 661 series. I don't know who was happier, Father Dan or me. The team slapped me on the back and the rest of the five weeks, I pounded that green ball into the pocket, raising my average from 162 to 168 for ninety games.   This was a 13 pound houseball, I was still less then five feet tall and barely 100 lbs. sopping wet.   Buck Demerest beat me out for high average 168 and more pins than I.  Buck also just bowled 45 games.

Of all the teams I bowled on, this is the one that has always remained my favorite. Three of the men remained in Rogers City. Leonard Kowalski ended up in Midland and I am presently in Troy, Michigan.  Since 1992 Bob has lived in Lake Worth Florida.  Leonard was involved in a serious auto accident which took away his mental capabilities. I met him and his father -in-law, Harry Meharg, in the Servicemen’s Club once and I went over to talk to them. Len couldn't speak well, so I talked with Harry about our bowling. Harry knew how to talk to him, so he explained bowling was the subject. Len immediately made believe he had a bowling ball in his left hand and stuck  his right thumb into it and pulled it out making a popping noise with his mouth, then grabbing a ball and throwing it. I had to believe Len was able to recall that young team we had back then.        

Harry Meharg threw the bowling ball in a most unusual way. He used his thumb and first two fingers and upon throwing the ball, it looked like it made two revolutions backwards before revolving forward.

Backing up to the beginning of the season, the first night of bowling in September 1943, a beautiful sunny and warm evening. the R.C. Drycleaners were opening up on allies five and six and soundly trashing  their opponents. Guy Creagh was keeping score, of course, and Jack Schultz got up for his tenth frame of the third game. He got a spare,  finished with a nice strike, and on the way back to his seat he dropped over. Harry Meharg and a few others worked over him feverishly but to no avail. Jack had gone to bowler heaven. What a fine, gentleman he was.

Guy Creagh was the greatest bowler in the Bowling Alley, who never bowled on a team. Many of you should remember him as a faithful scorekeeper, and his encouragement and support toward bowling. He was always most cordial, friendly inspiring and uplifting to me many times.       

It is noteworthy to mention that each bowler was required to pay 5 cents to the scorekeeper for his nights work. This was another method that I had of earning extra money to go toward my bowling ‘habit’.  I might add here that it was a good business course start, as one learned fast addition.
Jumping ahead a bit to the 1944-45  season, when I was counter boy. I got a pass to leave Eight Period study hall  to go and clean up the bowling alley. The door was open so that meant that Frank was there in his office, but why were the pins rattling inside?   When I took over as Counter Boy, Frank gave me a key to the front door. I could come and go as I so desired. So if Frank wasn't there I could go and do my work. If someone showed up to bowl, I could even set pins at such a time. It did happen on occasion. To my surprise, Guy Creagh was bowling with some gentlemen whom I had never seen before. When he was finished  he even put his own private bowling ball into a rented locker in Franks Office. This was the only time I ever saw him bowl in the ten years I was so closely associated with the lanes. What a nice man Guy was, and it's so good that you put him into your Bowling Hall of Fame. He was the greatest bowler in Rogers City who never threw the bowling ball. 

I recall it was in the fall of this season, after keeping score for Kate Lambs team and opponents, Frank Buza said, "Bobby, come with me, we are going over to Cappy Lambs house." When we got there I saw what was in the making. Russell Lamb was busy making letters for a sign to be hung up on the back curtain by the bowling pits. He sawed all of the letters out , nailed them to a frame and painted them gold. didn't that just look beautiful when it was finally hung up during the season. Lucky Strike Recreation. Frank would just stand and admire it numerous times in the beginning.

Captain ‘Cappy’ Lamb was probably the strongest 165 bowler on the lanes. When he got that left-handed ball cranked up, he would bowl a big score. He was just a little man, kind and good with us pinboys. There were times he would bowl with us in our Hi-Low in the Fifth, or First Three Strikes Competition.  Cappy was called such as he captained one of the Tug Boats that help put the ships into the Slip for loading limestone for their cargo, at Michigan Lime... He was a Bud Kasperski pal.

Still that same season, I approached Frank to contact Alpena to see if they had a young team who would bowl against our Bruski Products team. In a very short time, on a Saturday night, in the early fall of 1943, a team came to bowl us. Some of them were 21, but that didn't faze us. We tore after them as though they were Alpena High.  Some of their names, I remember. Al and Bud Kowalski, second cousins, Al Lacynski was the anchor man, and he threw a beautiful curve ball. He could already string strikes at that time. Some of you should remember, he went on to become Bowler of the Year in Alpena. He was their anchor man, and my meat. I did hold my own against him. We must have bowled them four times here and four times there. When in Alpena, after bowling we would go over to one of the Kowalski boys house and have a few beers and socialized. We became special friends during that time. Who won more of these matches? We did of course. After all, Rogers City had to overcome

Still the same season winter of 1944, Paul Hopp  [notice again it's Paul Hopp leading the cause] approached Bob Yerks and I about traveling to Petoskey with a men and women’s team, in case they needed pinsetters. The pinsetters in Petoskey were on strike and they didn't want to be left holding the bowling bag if it wasn't settled. Leo Kowalski, the oldest son of Sheriff Kowalski,,  and his wife  [a LaLonde girl, maybe Fred was her father], owned and ran the Bowling Alley.  Off to Petoskey. I sat in the middle front between driver , Tony Przbyala and Paull Hopp.  I remember Millie Mertz being in the back seat. Bergie and Gessala Platz, Doc and Ruth Kile, Penny Hoeft and Helen Buza. Bob Yerks found a front seat in the other car along with Ruth Cherrette, Eldrich.   The strike was settled, but they did let us set a few lines. To my knowledge, this is the only time Rogers City pinboys went out of town to set pins. The teams came back victorious with Millie Mertz being the big cheese for the women that day. She wasn't one of the powerful women bowlers of the era, but she threw a nice curve ball.  They rattled a few strikes in a row and helped the women to victory. Millie was a wiry, full of fun person, cheerful and brainy. She had her own business ventures , along with her husband having his.  Millie along with Mrs. Florip had the Rog Isle dress shop next to the Theater [Rog for the first letters of Rogers City and Isle from Presque Isle].  Millie also was in partnership with Kenny Vogelheim having the Jute Box nickelodeon business in town.  Also on the way back from Petoskey we went via Cheboygan and picked up U.S. 23. We all stopped at a Bar that many knew the owner. We had a great time dancing  and having a bite to eat.        

I should mention here that a man by the name of Chet Mosher started to come to Rogers City during the 1942-43 season. He had a bad case of hay- fever, so he would come up here in the early spring, rent a room from Florips, and stay till Christmas Time.  Tony Przybala, Jr. told me Chet stayed at the Thompson House. I venture, both are true. He utilized both places with the Thompson House being his last stay.  He was living on a shoe string, so he would keep score to make a few bucks.  Today everything is electronic on boards and the lanes.  Earlier, there were boards something like 6" by 12" and a sheet of paper to keep score on for three games. The scorekeeper was an important person since each player contributed 5 cents a piece which was 50 cents. This really wasn't a bad deal for a young pin setter. I also did a lot of this in the early years.

Frank Buza soon took to Chet and gave him a job to tend the counter to help the counterboy. I don't know how many years he did this. He used to love to keep score when Rudy Schleben Jr, and I,  would go head to head in match play. At first I would spot Rudy twenty pins, but then it soon became ten pins a game. Many times Rudy would strike out from the eighth frame on, when it seemed I had it in the bag, and the reverse often happened. It seemed, so many times, it would come down to the man who struck out,  was the winner. Rudy, do you remember those matches? 

In yet this same season Frank summoned a bowler from Detroit, to come up to Rogers City and give a bowling exhibition.  Johnny Crimmons was his name and he threw a bowling ball you wouldn't believe.  Frank put him up in a local hotel and then he came and performed for us in between his whistle stops at Parsons next door.  Unfortunately, for Johnny, he had became an alcoholic and couldn't meet the pro bowling demands anymore. When he did step on the lanes, he still could throw that powerfull fishtail bowling ball. His exhibition was enjoyed by all of us.

Again a guess at why Frank may have been able to bring this man to Rogers City.  I have a feeling that Walter Poch's nephew Louie Sieloff knew Johnny  Crimmons and helped arrange this event.

 Just very recently I called Walter Poch’s daughter (Gloria) in Bay City, Mi. I asked her about Crimmons and the E&B team coming here. She responded indeed that cousin Louie came here often and Walter was his favorite uncle.  She told me that her Dad would go to Detroit and get cars and bring them back for Johnny Witulski.  Johnny was the Pontiac dealer in Rogers City.   Walter Poch became great friends with the Detroit Tigers and arranged for them to come up to the Hunting Camp for hunting – probably for bear.    Gloria said her Dad was even allowed to sit in the Tigers dugout when he was in Detroit.  This was all very interesting to me.

The 1944-45 season is now in its beginning with new changes again. Benny Smigelski has quit the counter boy job, and Frank elevates me to the counterboy job. Alley one still remains in my name, but my brothers, Bill and Gene are in charge of it. When neither is available, I set pins.

World War II is now blazing full force in Europe, and some of the men from Rogers City have given their lives in our stead.  I am still five feet, 115 pounds, but I graduate to a little wider span bowling ball.  The black ebonites on the racks are still too big so I am having a little trouble getting a ball that fits.  Presque Isle County Savings Bank picks me up to bowl on Tuesdays.  Milton Hoffer, a High School  Teacher who later became the High School Principal,  is one of the bowlers on the team.  Benny Berg forms a Benny the Barbers team on which I recall Hank Slagg, and my self, the other escape me. Paul ‘Cauts’ Bruning approached me to bowl on his Brunings Dairy team.  I told him I couldn't afford to bowl three leagues.  He counters by saying he will pay for it.  This team consists of Paul Bruning, Jack Myers Elmer Trapp, Adolph Quade, occasionally Kenny Wenzel, and myself. 

The Tuesday night league was opening up,  and many of the men were in Frank's office getting their balls out of their lockers, and changing their shoes. During the small talk that was going on, one of the bowlers remarked to me that he would bet me a dollar that I wouldn't average 170. I looked at him, Bergie Platz says, "Bob you won't have any trouble doing it". As it was, Bergie was right, I averaged in the mid to upper 170's giving Bergie a run for high average. I never did get the dollar from this man though. Yes, I remember who he was.

I blended in well tending the counter, oiling the alley, brushing and buffing them with the machine with 12'' diameter brush. There also was a dust mop that stretched from gutter to gutter, that we had to dust the alleys with.

This is a good spot to tell about Otis Pollock coming in once a year as the local Bowling Association representative, And we would measure and check out the lanes, gutters, and pits to see they met A.B. C. specifications,  Some time during the year, we got the idea to brush the main bowling alley floor, and it just turned out beautiful. One day I got a pass from Eight Period Study Hall to clean up the lanes, and decided to buff the floor. I was nicely into the job when Frank Buza walked in with Art Getzinger Sr. Frank was pleased to see I was polishing the floor on my own initiative.  Art was a big strong man and I began to coax him to try running the machine.  Frank began smiling and said, "Yes, Art why don' you try it?"  Art grabs a hold of the handle and starts it up.  There goes Art all over the floor, trying to take the machine down. You would think he was competing in a calf roping contest. Frank, Art, and I had a big laugh. He turned it off and I showed him how simple it was with the “know how.”

 

Sometime during this season Alfred ‘Buck’ Demerest, bowling on the Rogers City Dry Cleaners team, with Guy Creagh scorekeeping, as usual on Alleys three and four. He bowled a poor first game and opened up the first two frames of the second game. He began a string of strikes that carried him through for ten in a row, completing the second game. The third game, he opened up with eight strikes in a row, for eighteen straight  strikes in a row. Buck threw a slight backup ball, and would throw a little right or left of center, depending on how his ball was working.  I know Dennis Bannash threw eighteen in a row here in the Free Press tournament in Troy, Mich.  If any of the great bowlers in Rogers City hasn't exceeded that amount, then Buck Demerest has the record in league, tournament, or match play in Rogers City.  I am writing this in 2003, and I know through my Advances that I read that this record has been broken.  I can't remember who now would hold the record.

Another event that season involved Roy Sorgenfrei. He came in to bowl a game which was rare indeed. Well, he picked up the smallest thumbhole bowling ball there was, and proceeded to stick his thumb into it. You guessed it, it got stuck and wouldn't come out. I was tending the counter alone that evening as Frank has gone somewhere. into the little room with the laundry tub we went.  The pinboys and I stuck things down alongside of his thumb, and tried to get oil down into the hole. After working on it for a half hour or so, he finally was able to free it.  In the meantime, there was plenty of laughing at Roy and watching the entire project. Pinboys, do you remember that one? 

 Roy was in the navy during WWII and I believe had two ships shot out from under him.  My memory seems to emit that he spent some time on a raft before being rescued.  Also, he was wounded,  but I don't remember the severity of his wounds.   He may have been on Naval Disability from this.

Also that year, I approached Roger Parsons about making up a special sign, for our Benny Barbers team. Roger was in my grade in school, and had the same talent as his oldest brother Ferris.  He made a beauty of a picture of a bowler sitting in a barbers chair and Benny cutting his hair.  A bowling bag was setting along side of the chair. On Thursday night I hung it up, depicting where Benny's team would bowl.  Everybody took a good look at it.  Naturally, there were a few negative comments on it.  In those days there was a line strung from wall to wall above the foul line.  On it were hung signs of the teams, depicting where you were bowling.  Couts Bruning also had one made showing a bowling ball rolling toward a milk bottle.  They sure did look neat and Roger made a few bucks.

It was also this year the pinboys had a strike. I wasn't there that evening and knew nothing about this.  My youngest brother, Gene was setting pins that night.  He tells me they just stopped setting pins, and the bowlers complained to Frank, that the pinboys were on strike.  Frank went down to the pits to see what the problem was.  They informed him that it was time they got a penny raise, to five cents a line.  Frank said "Set the pins up, it will be in your next payday. " A short and sweet strike for the pinboy!

About this year, two girls began coming into the Bowling Alley to learn the game of bowling.  They were Theresa Rygwelski (Heinzel) and Louise Rygwelski, first cousins.  I kept my eye on the oldest one and checked on her scores when she brought them up to pay for them.  She was always improving and throwing that beautiful bowling ball.  It was only a matter of time for her to become a good bowler.  Before I left for Detroit in 1949, she had established herself as the women bowler to be reckoned with.  In later years, I seem to recall  that she did become Rogers City Bowler of the year.

Helen Buza Conley, Frank's youngest sister, [her twin had died some years before]  was a delight to watch approaching the foul line and following through so well. I seem to recall her being a good 150 bowler. I remember one of the teams she bowled with was the Philips 66 team, with Anne Przybyla. I used to love keeping score for her, for I also had acquaintance with her, after I turned seventeen years old, trying to learn how to dance. Helen, do you remember the many good dances we had together?  Jumping ahead a year.  Helen used to bet me a dollar on Fridays that I had to be five pins over my average for total pins.  I believe it was this bet that pushed me onward to a 186 average in the 1945-46 season on Friday nights.  I didn't want to lose that dollar.

Vera Yerks was another of the better women bowlers in Rogers City. She had good control over her backup ball, getting four strikes in a row her share of times.

Gisella Platz was a woman who, along with her husband Bergie, just loved the game of bowling, an excellent women bowler. She was a good spokesperson for the women back then, and what I would read in the Advance, she always performed well for her favorite sport.

Ethel Reisner (Wickersham) threw that nice curve ball and was the woman to beat. I can't remember if she reached the coveted 160 average barrier or not.  Ethel and Cozy Wickersham, and Berg were great friends. Cozy wasn't any slouch with the bowling ball.  Ethel married Cozy's brother Royce Wickersham.

Judy Ware was a straight ball, down the middle bowler with fine control, and a fine 140 average.   
Kate Lamb (Fleming) was also in the top class of women bowlers, throwing her cross alley curve ball into the pocket.  Her cross alley ball had a nice finish.  

Ruth Kile was no slouch with the bowling ball, and some nights pounded the pins with regular abandon with her curve ball.

Birdie Mae Fink gave us pinboys the greatest thrills. She would let go of that bowling ball, and as it began its track down the lanes, the pinboy would run up front, get a pop and make it back in time to rack the pins. This is a little exaggerated, but Birdies ball was so slow that the Rogers City pinboys knew all about slow motion replays before T.V. could bring them to us. Behold, Birdie got a strike and coming up for her next shot, she laid her ball into its track. The pinboys began coaxing it into the one, three pocket and the pins begin toppling, a perfect slow motion play of each pin, doing its job. The pinboys begin to cheer, Birdie Mae got two in a row.   Hurrah for Birdie.

Yes indeed, Pinboys, did get caught up in the teams bowling and individual bowlers.  This job wasn't a dream job, but when someone was doing well, they cheered for them.  Sometimes the bowlers knew it.

Also the fact is Birdie didn't let this stop her from her night out socializing with the women.   Also, the women always cheered her on.  Do you see what can be done - participate is the name of the game.

The bowling season is moving along and it's time for a match game against Petoskey opponents. This Sunday, Tony Przybyla, Penny Hoeft, Doc Kile, Paul Hopp and Harry Boutin, were beating the wood with pocket hits , but the pins were stubborn today. It was a day of much spar shooting. The 10, 6, 4, pins along with the 5-10 split were there with a large amount of frequency. Also, on such occasions, Frank would allow beer to be kept in his office, so the visitors and home team could wet their whistle a little. Fun loving Tony just threw a turkey and in his joy, he picked up a Petoskey bowler off the alley four bench and set him on the alley five bench as though he were a toothpick. Big Tony was this kind of fun loving man. Things are tough and it comes down to the last frame and Harry Boutin has to mark to win. Harry leaves the 3-6-9 a tough spare, but Harry's slight backup ball was right on target and a victory for the home-town-team. Harry Boutin was the best spare shooter in Rogers City in those days.

It is Easter Sunday, 1945 and my brothers are going out visiting, so I have to set pins if it warrants. Frank was going out of town, so in an occasion like this, Chief Mertz would come in to tend the counter. Chief was a quiet, friendly type of man, and entered with his nice brown suit, which seemed to be his favorite color. Chief loved us pinboys as if he was one of us. Another odd job of his was to square up the round bottom pins on the lathe in the boiler room basement.

How was the Bowling Alley heated?   What about the coal bin?  There was an auger type shaft from the boiler back into the coke bin which would move the coal into a shaft and into the firepot.  This required the coke to be shoveled into the bin part that attached to the shaft.  Well, guess what?  The times were not counted anymore when the coke was failed to be shoveled into the main bin.  When this happened the Bowling Alley would fill up with smoke.   This required the main roof fan to be turned on and all windows opened to remove the smoke.  Even when Bud Kasperski was there it happened.  One time it did with no one there.  I just happened to go by and quickly unlocked the door and took care of business. 

This Easter only two pinboys showed up, so I set Allies two and three, and the other two set four and five, six and seven.

Why was Alley One left open ?   Between one and two there was a rail that you set the ball on to sent back up front, so the bowler could reuse his ball.  This also was the case between Three and Four, and Five and Six. This means there was no rail between Two and Three, Four and Five, Six and Seven.  This made it much easier to jump into the neighboring pit and set two lanes. 

It seems like the public was in the mood for bowling today, and they were waiting in line. I stopped setting two and three and ran up front to discuss with Chief about me also trying to set alley one. The bowlers would have to understand that they may be delayed a little.  People kept coming and three   of us pinsetters never stopped.  I soon got the hang of setting three lanes. Anyway, the Bowling Alley had a good day and I had set more pins, in one day, than had been set before by any one pinboy.    Chief Mertz was so pleased and I received a big payday. Chief Mertz was a fine example of hard work and investing your money, being fair and honest will bring you out ahead in the long haul of life.  I remember Millie Mertz tending the counter like this, at least twice, when I was on standby pinsetting.

Toward the end of this season, here comes Paul and Tony again rounding up enough bowlers to take two teams to the Chet Trombly Team Tournament in Detroit.  Tony got us hotel rooms at the Wolverine Hotel in Detroit which was the base for our stomping grounds. 

In our first evening in the hotel, we got introduced to a man who was to become a very close friend in future years.  His name was Irvin ‘Irv’ Bannasch, Paul Hopp’s son-in-law.   Irv immediately came to the young bowlers and we had good bowling talk and listened to what knowledge he had to give us on the game.  Our teams didn't break any records but I shot a 560 for my first tournament adventure, along with finding a new friend.

The 1945-46 season is now underway. Victory has been heralded as ours in WWII. The long awaited return of Bud Kasperski is fact, with him and his wife renting a flat above Zigorski’s plumbing shop. 
Interestingly, in the early part of 1929 my parents left the Hardies Homestead in Belknap Township and rented rooms in the upstairs flat.  My brother Bill was born there.  This building at this time was owned by my mother’s uncle,  Carl Stephan.  It was known as the Stephan Building.  I also seem to recall that Emil Plath began his meat store there.  May have also had the small building next door and used the Stephan building for storage.

I just read the Nov 6, 2003 Advance and seen an advertisement from Plath's meat market. Here is what it says and clarifies my statements above.  “Carl Stephan has commenced work on a cement block building adjoining his present quarters on Third Street. The building will be 20 x 36 feet, one story and constructed by William Schmidt and Son's Cement Blocks.  It will be occupied by Emil Plath, recently from Germany, who will conduct a meat market called The Sanitary Market.”  What's interesting here is I just had a vague memory on this and it is pretty close.   Emil using the Stephan building for storage is practical. The advertisement carries on with the building of his next door to his main  building.  I do know that Dr. Lester had his doctor’s office in the Stephan building in the early 1930's.  Evidently Zigorski bought this building and then had a successful plumbing business there.   He also rented out flats upstairs.  This advertisement also relates that Emil built a new one a little north on Third and moved in there in 1913.

Bud Kasperski came immediately and looked me up and grabbed my hand,  and said he was told great things about me, and welcome my competition.  I finally began growing up and began using the black ebonites. I found Paul Tank’s ball to my liking, and he gave me permission to use it when he wasn't.   I also got permission from Joe Buza [Franks brother and Judge of Probate].   You can see many people helped me out.  This helped as usually someone’s ball was free for me to use.  The last time I saw Bud , I was knee high to a grasshopper and I had bowled my first 200 in early March 1940 before he left for military service.   He immediately gave me  the big brother feeling, and during this year we developed a special bond for each other. Thursdays he went back to bowling on the Rogers City Hardware team with his buddies, Paul Hopp, Cappy Lamb, Buck Demerest and Bud Rogers.  I have a loss of memory as to what team he bowled on Tuesday nights.        

Our Presque Isle County Bank Team had a complete new look with the WW II vets returning.   We had Gene King, Norval ‘Si’ Bade, John ‘Jack’ Florip,  Howard Buck Hoffman, and myself.  I was a little more than wet behind the ears now, and felt more in place bowling with adults.  On Thursdays I still bowled with Benny"s Barber team and I recruited my youngest brother, Gene for our sixth man.

Bruning’s Dairy added Kenneth Wenzel and a new team named Greeka's joined the Friday night league.  It was sponsored by Art Bisson, as at that time he was the manager at Greeka's Tavern.  Just freshly back from WW II, Eddie Modrzynski was the captain.  It seems to me it was on this team that Charley Gordon began his bowling. The boys who competed in High School athletics weren't normally seen in the bowling alley.  Leonard Kowalski was one of the exceptions, setting pins and bowling both.  Many of us know and felt that Charley Gordon was Rogers City's greatest  athlete. Naturally, he soon began conquering the bowling game also.

I would like to insert a word here on Charley brother, John. It was for at least the first three seasons the sailors from the local fleet, had a six team bowling league for thirteen weeks during the winter. It was on Saturday and some of the bowlers I remember, were Wes Bishop, Hilton Gould, Norm Raymond, Harry Piechan, and Johnny Gordon. Johnny threw a beautiful curve ball and had no trouble bowling a 180 average. We also found out at the Hank Slagg Pool Recreation that Johnny was also the greatest pool player in town.  No one was a match for him in Straight Pool.

Greeka's proved the team to beat as our Bunings Dairy team soon found out. We managed to take the first half, but they edged us out in the second. This is the way it was for the next four seasons Our two teams always battling it out. Greka's won more of the play-offs, as they had a team who could bowl the one big game.  The play-offs were always decided by the total pins while during the season all the Leagues used the three point system. This certainly did make a difference. We lost several play-offs where we won two games ,by over ten pins, but they would win one by thirty and take the match. Eddie, do you remember those great battles?  Art Bisson used to like to take his Greeka team to Alpena and bowl match play. Some of their teams didn't want to do that, so I was one of the Great Greeka Bowlers when it came to this.

Jumping ahead to 1949 on the last time I bowled with them in Alpena, after the match we stopped at their local neighborhood bar, and began celebrating a little.  I hadn't reached 21 yet, but I was being served beer, to wet my whistle. From there, we went to a home of our opponents and lived it up some more and ate a little. Well, Bobby hadn't approached their capabilities at alcohol consumption. He began taking over the lavatory, and some good nattered ribbing as reward, The fun I had bowling in this league from the time I was fifteen to twenty one, can't be measured. Six full seasons, and in the 1945-46 season I averaged 186. This was the highest average ever attained that I know of in the first decade, in the Lucky Strike Recreation.

The bowling season was moving along smoothly and Bud and I became ever closer to each other. I would come into the bowling alley after school and clean up. In the winter time I would shovel the snow out in front for the bowlers. Before going home for supper, there was always some time for great cribbage games. We did have the privilege of receiving twenty nine hands. Often Cappy Lamb would come in, on the way home from work, and then we would have a threesome.

Early that fall, coming into the alleys after school, Bud came out of the office.  Having been talking with Frank Buza he said to me,  “Bobby, I want to check your bowling span".   Over to the ball with all the holes we went. The amazing thing we found out was our spans were absolutely identical. He told me that Frank was buying us both a new bowling ball , but they were going to order a fifteen pound ball for me.   When that new ball came, Bud and I immediately broke them in, and there wasn't any one more proud than I to have his own private bowling ball.  I bowled with that ball till I was over thirty years old.

Bowling went along fine with the normal 200 games and 600 series being bowled. Men like Cappy Lamb, Dock Kile and Paul Hopp zinging in some of these once in awhile. Even Lees Raymon and Lloyd Conley got into the Act. Al Hopp continued to finish his approach with his left hand on his knee, as he followed through with his right hand. Little scrappy Joey Chrzan kept bowling left handed with his right hand as he would zing his back-up ball out alongside of the left gutter and it would come in like a left hander.  Emil Peltz would be in town on occasion to bowl on the R.C. Hardware team, when he wasn't in Lansing as our elected State Representative.   Emil had taken the place of Bill Green as our State Rep in Lansing, since Green had given up.    Charley Platz just did his steady bowling for his team.  I know there are many others to mention, but at the moment my mind is drawing blanks. The Presque Isle Bank wasn't rolling over dead and was scrapping to win the first half. 

Henry (Hank) Flemming, and Elmer Trapp threw the fastest bowling balls.  Guaranteed that your legs were  high in the air in front of your sitting position for protection, just in case.  Hank tended the Pinewood Bar for Eddie Muczynski.    They were both powerful men.

In the Thursday League again the cream began coming to the top, as Tony's Dodge team, R. C. Hardware and Krueger began fighting it out. The Przybyla family has sponsored the Dodge team since the league first began in 1937-38. I wonder if this could be a record for time.

Again here is the question as to whether the Bowling Alley was there in 1937-38.  I again hold fast that it was. This takes away from the fact, if there are those who say no, this a record that surely is astounding.  I wonder if there is any business in the U.S. that can beat a record of such continuous devotion to this GREAT GAME OF BOWLING.  The Przybyla family has stayed in the family business by family since about 1928. This surely is a great accomplishment in Presque Isle County history.  I know I am proud of this family’s accomplishments.  Good going Przybyla's.

Many of your Detroit Bowling Lanes are no longer operating and hence their sponsorship has ceased.  In one spot,  maybe in Hamtramack’s Paladium  Bowling Alley.  I have bowled there numerous times in the Citizen’s Tournament.  I won my share of Jackpots there.  I would place low in money returns, however.   The Krueger Hardware would have the same length of time if it hadn't been changed to Grulke Hardware.   Irv Grulke bowled on this team for all these years.  The Hardware Store is still operating; just in a new location with a new name – Grulke Hardware.

I also forgot to mention that another new bowler came to town this year, Leo Kowalski sold his Petoskey Bowling Alley, and returned to Rogers City. Leo had good control over his cross-alley curve ball and provided a lot of competition.

Toward the middle of the season, we began to hear rumors that the Bowling Alley, was going to be sold. The new owners were to be Paul Hopp and his son-in-law, Irvin Bannasch.  It wasn't until March of 1947, during the Chene Trombly Tournament that Irv Bannsch tells Rudy Schleben and I that he and Paul Hopp have cemented a deal to obtain the Rogers City Bowling Alley.  

In March of 1946, two teams are headed for the Wolverine Hotel in Detroit again. It's Chene Trombly Tournament time. Into the hotel came Irv Bannasch, and of course the partying, card playing, and bowling talk are going on.  Neither of our two teams broke any records at the tournament and after our performance the Honorary Mayor of Hamtramck, Tony Przybyla, took us over to the Polish Century Club.  After a lot of gabbing, a decision was made to bowl a three game match for a chicken dinner as the Club had four lanes in it. Our teams consisted of Paul Hopp, Rudy Schleben, Bergie Platz and myself.  I can't recall our fifth man. In the middle of the second game  Fred Dagner, in his glee on throwing a Turkey, he jumped over the rack, but his foot was a little heavy about then from his last beer, and caught on the rack.  Fred had to limp back all the way to Rogers City.  We agreed that one of their bowlers could bowl twice in this emergency. Our team took the match and we finally headed back to Rogers City. On our way home on Woodward Ave, we stopped for our Chicken dinner, but to our surprise, it ended up as a Dutch treat.   A few of the boys on our team didn't think much of that one.                                              

On an evening during this season, Bud beat me to the Alley and  had it open for early bowling. When I arrived he quickly came to me and said, "Wally Haske is going to beat you to 300." Wally, a pinboy, was bowling prior to league and had opened up with eight in a row.  His ninth ball was dead in the pocket for nine , and now the big ten.  His ball came in for a baby split hit, but the six pin stood along with the three and ten.  He spared finishing with a strike for 277.  Frank Buza would have been happy with any 300 game at that time.  Prior to Penny Hoeft’s 299, the highest game in the lanes was 289, bowled by Frank Reinke, in open play.  Frank Buza had this on the board, neatly marked, for years.  I know it was already there when I bowled my first game in early 1939.

It is now the last night of the 1946 season on Thurdays.  The Dodge team is bowling the Krueger Hardware, for the best two out of three games , as second half champs.  They will then square off against the R.C. Hardware the first half champ winners.  Each team has won a game, and now it's the tenth frame of the last game, even up in marks.  The Dodge Boys were having trouble this game.  Shuffle Ball Tony Przybyla gets up and with those big hands of his, moves toward the foul line and shuffles the ball toward it's mark. (The great bowler Don Carter, must have come through Rogers City and saw Tony's shuffle ball, and then perfected the shuffle ball on the pro circuit). Tony certainly, never learned it from him. (

Dennis informed me that Don Carter had an injury to his arm which caused this kind of release.    It shows that even with physical adversity many are able to cope in many things quite well.

The ball hits its mark and bang right into the pocket, but for some unknown reason the mother -in law- (Seven Pin ) stands.  Tony doesn't shuffle the ball out far enough on his spare, and opens up.  Art Krueger throws his regular cross-alley ball and fills his spare with seven pins.  Doc Kile, a good 168 bowler , hits his mark, but it results in a Cincinnati (pocket split), also known as Pillow in the Ball.   Allen Taylor, the farmer from Hagenville, who informed me at the beginning of the night that he had dropped off a gallon of buttermilk at Parsons next door, and that  a ten cent glass of this is mine.
Parson’s became Rainbow Gardens, and today is the Light House Restaurant.   Between the Bowling Alley and the Rainbow Gardens was an alleyway for delivery trucks.   I believe it was Irv Bannasch who finally filled that in and combined the two buildings.  

Allen threw his nice outside curve ball and it breaks in for a strike.  He full counts it for twenty.  The Dodge Boys were now two marks down, and Les Raymond moves up to bowl with a double up.  It never seemed to fail, when the Dodge boys were at their worst bowling, Les would be at his best. Les was no power bowler, but steady, he fires his small hook ball into the pocket for a strike. His next two balls are a carbon copy of the first and he goes out with five in a row.  Irv Grulke leaves a tough four pin bucket on the first ball, picks it up and rolls seven on his bonus ball.  Les has now put his team a mark up. Eli Rygwelski, a quite and dependable bowler with this team when it was formed in the 1937 season, fires his ball inside the second arrow, and it comes back for a good mixer, but the seven pin stands. This happened a lot in those wooden pin days. Eli spares and full counts it for twenty. Al  Quade steps to the line , a good solid bowler for years with Krueger, fires and leaves the five pin, spares it and gets eight on his final ball. Guy Creagh, the score keeper informs Father Dan, he must strike and get nine on his next ball to put the match away, as he has a strike up in the ninth frame.  Father Dan, our pinboys friend, gets up.  He is wearing that beautiful grayish shirt this evening to go with his clerical collar.  He moves up to the rack and picks up his ball, sets himself for his approach.  Don't look now, he is down to earth like the rest of us, as he unsnaps his clerical collar. He sets himself and fires the ball, with his beautiful  follow through snap, and it heads for the mark, right on target.  Suddenly it fishtails for the old one-three pocket, dead in, but behold the nine pin doesn't even budge. Father  Dan was robbed on what we pinboys would call, “cheering the five off the nine on the first ball”.   He spares it, and such fate doesn't befall him on his next shot.

The Krueger anchorman is sitting next to the scorekeeper and sees they are eleven pins down and must throw a double to win the game. He puffs on that freshly lit cigarette and moves to the ash tray on the post at the rack end.  Grabbing the cigarette with his first two fingers, he takes a puff and then knocks off the ash, setting it into the tray.  Set with determination he grabs the towel at the end of the post and wipes his hands.  Picks up his brown bowling ball with the light brown designs in it, and sets himself at his spot.  The moment he moves forward with that beautiful five-step delivery of his, his elbow cocks up the ball, just below his eyes, and he draws a bead on the dark board, just right of the first arrow. The throw is done fluidly and right on its mark.  Guy Creagh begins to holler,  "Peaches is got eyes, Peaches is got eyes", as the ball slams dead into the pocket, knocking every pin into the pit. No smile or emotion here, just a drag on his cigarette, wipe his hands and grabs his ball. He draws the same bead and the ball goes right over the mark. Guy Creagh is hollering again, "Peaches is got eyes, Peaches is got eyes"!   Yes, this man, Earl Bergie Platz, had done it again.  With his double, Krueger won the second half and Bergie took over high average, with a 180, just edging out Bud and myself.   Bergie Platz was the greatest bowler in the first decade of bowling in Rogers City.  He was a quiet man who, when he spoke, it wasn't nonsense, and he bowled the same way.  Even Bud Kasperski knew he was the man to beat.  He never bowled the coveted 300, but 270's and 260's were in his range.   He never got the 700, but 670's and 660's were some of his meat.  Of all the bowlers, he truly is a hall of famer.  I don't know if you have him in the Rogers City Hall of Fame!  If not, don't delay, put the man in who threw the bowling ball dubbed a Peach, by Guy Creagh, that had Eyes.

This particular Bowling Scene is a lot of events that took place over years that I put together into one scene, so you got an idea of bowling in those years.  There were times when playoffs took place in such a manner.  The bowlers I mentioned are a few of the many who bowled.  The events of each bowler were true, but didn't happen all at this particular time.   I have Father Dan there in 1946, he may have been gone already,  but he did have such happenings.  Bergies,  “Peaches is got Eyes”  was used a lot by Guy Creagh over the years.  This bowling scene brings to you that time period.)                          
   

Bud Kasperski also had a good night that evening, along with Bergie. They both felt hot, so they had one of their head-to-head match games. They would bowl for a dollar a pin, with the winner paying for the games. You did read right, one dollar a pin. They didn't do this often, but in the course of a season, it was done on occasion.  The pinboys knew, and everyone else, to stay away, no rooting here. Two great champions going at it, head to head, with the number one scorekeeper, keeping score.  Tonight it was Bergies night again. I won't mention the amount won, only that Bergie won more of these affairs.

I would say here that I never favored one over the other. I rather felt a little sorry for the looser.   It could very well be that all of us felt that way. The amount of games were many.   I don't think they had a standard amount.

It was around this season that the two Woloszyk boys began coming into the bowling alley to learn the game of bowling. They would finish their farm chores  early and come in and take over alley seven. They would bowl ten to twelve games apiece, sometimes even finishing after the leagues. You know they became fixtures here in bowling for years to come.

It may have been about now, Arlene (Peltz) Thomas began throwing the bowling ball. Marlin Thomas had his eye on her, and began frequenting the lanes with her on his arm. Arleen, you know, became a great woman bowler and also did a fine job instructing others in the game. The determination that Arleen had is lacking in many who would beset to learn the game today.

Arleen had her turn at being the Woman Bowler of the year. She was a fixture there, as she tended the bar and waitressed for years. She contributed highly to bowling history in Rogers City. Many of her achievements are recorded in the P.I. Advance.  In the 1940's there was not a whole lot recorded on bowling in the Advance. This was another reason that I wrote this story so some of this history is on record.  I know Millie Mertz sent me some copies of her writing Bowling Events and the Advance published them. If you look though you will find mostly all blanks for the 1940's)

It is final now. The Alley is sold to Irvin Banasch and Paul Hopp. Frank Buza is hanging up his bowling shoes.   He never really bowled though.   Let’s measure the man.   He along with Clarence ‘Chief’ Mertz put bowling on the map in Rogers City.  Before that, there was Pete LaMere's Bowling Pub which I knew little about.   This place also had pool tables and served hamburgers and soup.  When I spoke with Karl Vogelhiem about the story I was writing he recalled that there were a couple of lanes in the building that became the Liquor store next to Leve's and Light and Power Store.  They were probably moved to Pete LeMere's.

I do remember  viewing the bowlers, looking through the front window, when I was in the second and third grades.  Frank was figuratively the greatest Eagle Scout leader of that time.  Think of all the pinboys he had to charge and tend as they grew up.  Setting pins was a learning experience, laboring together, outside of books.  You could learn to save money or just squander it away.  In the case of poorer families, they shared it with their families.  How many pupils went through his school of pinboys?  I would like to believe that I was his favorite, but Frank loved them all.   He would show it by saying,  “Sam Voight, go and bowl a few lines with Pop.”  Pop Buza what we affectionately called him, and it meant, you bowled for four cents a line.  Pop loved to bowl with his left hand, and I once recall, he got four strikes in a row.  Or the time he lent his car to Sammy, my brother, Gene, and four others to go to the basketball game in Alpena.  Sure, you guessed it on the way back, one of them threw up all over the back seat of the car.  Frank never got angry over this.  He just smiled with that smile of his, and said, "Did you learn anything? Get it cleaned up".  How about all the pinboys who went through his twelve years of tutoring, encouraging, joking and even crying with them.   Frank helped us grow up with and honest days work, for an honest days pay; and an honest days pay for an honest days work, as the pinboy strike can merit.  I thought enough of Frank P. Buza to give him one of my graduation pictures.  He was my bowling father for eight years.  Well done, Frank Buza! Thank You Chief Mertz.

I don't know if an honorary position was given to Frank in the Rogers City Bowling Hall of fame.   Frank should have an honorary  status  just looking at some of the things I wrote about.  In a sense even though he was no Bowler, you still could in a real way say he was the father of Bowling in Rogers City.

I was now a High School Graduate, and the set of pins my high school classmates gave me to start out on my own Bowling Alley, wasn't multiplying.  It was a large safety pin with ten small safety pins snapped in it.   

I went sailing, subbing for men on vacation.  My first job was replacing Ray Kowalski, on the Robinson, as assistant conveyorman.   Ray was then put on the Carl D. Bradley and lost his life when the Bradley sunk in Lake Michigan in 1958 . 

This meant working with Les Pines who was not a stranger to me.   Les used to come into the bowling alley during the winter. He would sit behind me a lot and we had become friends over the years. There were others who didn't bowl, but they came in to watch bowling.  Morris Richards, from First Street, was a great bowling fan.  Even Irving Clymer would come in and watch Penny Hoeft, Charley Platz, Bud Patterson, and Bernard Heath. Dutchy Dode was another.  The seats always had a few bowling fans in them.  This is a lost vocation today, instead they have made bowlers out of these people.

Writing about my first sailing adventure. Something in latter years occurred tying back to the vessel T.W. Robinson.  The chief engineer was Guy LaBounte.  I was moved shortly, to the engine room as a wiper, and one of my jobs was to clean his room once a week.   In the late 1960's working at the Chrysler Sterling Stamping Plant ( Tool and Diemaker) Sterling Heights Michigan, we had a Chrysler bowling league on Friday nights.  One of the men I worked with always brought his Grandfather with him to watch us all bowl.  After some time I found his name was Guy Labounte.   Yes, that’s right, the Robinson engineer.  He would come and sit by me, to discuss what I could tell him of Rogers City.  It got so that he would watch his grandson, one game, and me two games.  In latter years he became blind.  I believe it was macular degeneration, which I now have.  The first time he came in as such, I had thrown my ball and he heard my voice.  He immediately hollered “Bob is that you?”  I went and got him and  set him beside me.   He was very content.  He also would follow us to tournaments.   I was his tie to Rogers City people here.   I also had the priviledge of viewing his coffin.        

Irv and Paul Hopp threw a dance party at the Rainbow Gardens, to start off the new bowling season. A great time was had by all, Dancing and having a beer, if you were twenty one. Another event Irv promoted, to start the season, was bringing up the E&B team from Detroit, Freddie Lujack, Louie Sieloff, Thermond Gibson, Chet Bowkowsi and George Young. Irv got all the lanes nicely dressed and Karl Vogelheim was the master of ceremonies for the occasion. He introduce all of the bowlers from each team. The Rogers City bowlers being, Penny Hoeft, Paul Hopp Bergie Platz, Harry Boutin Irvin Bannasch, and I was to bowl the last game in place of Irv. No one did realy well. George Young struggled to bowl 470. I had a game in the 150's. I did have a great thrill as I bowled against some of the greatest bowlers in the world. 

This was not the first time the E&B team came to Rogers City. I am not sure of the first time, but in the early 1940's.  I have been trying to sort out how Frank Buza got them to come up there.   I have been working on Family Trees and this gave me a clue, which I believe has good merit. The clue is a man by the name of Walter Poch.  He ran a gas station at the corner of Main and Larke.  I used to go and get my gas there when I got my first car.  I felt of all of them he needed it most. I also knew he was related to me, but didn't know some of the details.  Come to find out he is second cousin to my father. His mother  and my Dad’s mother were 1st cousins via the Hoeft lineage . Walter’s grandmother was a sister to Herman Hoeft and Johann Hoeft - my dad’s Grandfather. Walter’s older sister Rose married a Lewis Sieloff Sr.  and they lived in Detroit.  Young Lewis Sieloff Jr born 1916 grew up to be a good bowler and landed on the E&B pro team in Detroit.  I believe Uncle Walter Poch talked nephew Lewie into bringing the E&B team up to Rogers City ,and his parents could then visit.   Also when I wrote this story and I interviewed Phil Nowicki Jr he mentiond they continued to come to Rogers City and that he got a chance to bowl against them.   This also could have something to do with John Crimins coming up to R.C. for an exhibition. Walter Poch was a loveable guy and enjoyed his bowling     

I sailed off and on, and worked winter work so I was able to bowl. We had a normal season. I was used to tending the counter and Irv didn't mind me there.   If he and his wife wanted to go somewhere I would take care of the Lanes.

Dennis Bannasch reminded me that Irv’s sister had kidney problems, and they went down “below” for doctoring.   I recalled this , but because a person can only recall so much. I don't remember what happened to her.  Interestingly two of my own children were born with a incureable Liver Diease.   One, my youngest son Rob had kidney failure and I gave him my right kidney in 1982 at Beaumount Hospital in Royal Oak Mi.  It lasted 17 years and then he received a cadaver kidney. 

Rogers City Bowlers didn't consider jackpots, but Irv and I always had a one dollar four ways bet. In the course of a seasoon, I came out on top of ths, even though Irv would average higher than I, he could always bowl at least one big game, but splits would plague him during the evening and hence I would beat him two games and have an even break. I had my good nights and then Irv had to pay. He always would say, "Why am I paying, when I have a higher average?", And I countered, "If you can't Bowl, Pay." It was things like this that cemented Irv and I together.  We liked each others competition and bowling against or with each other.)

Irv had rented a house on Friedrich Street, it's now owned by the Ikens, this made us neighbors, along with being bowling buddies. I am not sure if this was the year that Irv bought a set of duck pins and ball or not. Anyway it brought a kid just out of diapers into the alleys to bowl at duck pins. You guessed it,  Dennis Bannasch was his name, and all of you know the bowler he grew up to be.

It was a normal season, but some of us went to a new tournament in Bay City. It was the Lutheran Tournament and with Bill Conleuy's promotion we came up with four teams to go there. When we arrived we discovered we had fans there from Rogers City, the Wall and Bruning families. Dick Bruning and Ed Wall sat behind my brother Gene and I, as we bowled our doubles. We both caught on fire, with Gene bowling a 580 and I a 630. With our handicap , it put us over 1300 pins, and in first place. That evening, two ministers beat us out by eight pins, so we had to settle for second place.

The 1947-48 season and I now began bowling for the Advance  team, on Thursday, as Bennies Barber had broken up. Irv introduced a new league which was a traveling league with Alpena. We had two teams, and Alpena had four teams. We would bowl two weeks in Alpena, and one in Rogers City. Penny Hoeft and Bergie Platz led the team of older bowlers and Irv and I were on the team of younger bowlers, also Marlin Thomas, Rudy Schleben, the rest escapes my memory. We had a lot of fun in that league the next two years on Sundays.   Alpena had one bowler who broke the 700 barrier a couple of times.   The best by a Rogers Cityan was a 669 by myself.  I believe that Ivan Soper was also one on this team of ours, also posibly Leo Kowalski.

That season Paul Hopp, the ever promoter, got Leo Kowalski, Rudy Schleben, Irv Bannasch and myself, to go to the Candian Soo to Bowl. The uncommon thing we experienced there was, pinsetting was done by hand, no racks. The pinboys would have to be right on there bellies to set the front pins. it was surprising how quickly they did it. Victory was ours and then we traveled back to the American Soo and our Hotel. We bowled a team there the next day again with a victory, and came home with an experience that many of todays bowlers never have.

I was now working for Dutchy Dode in plumbing and heating, but work began slacking off, Irv always found me a little something to do, like going over to his garage and squaring up the round bottom pins. Tending the lanes here and there. The set of pins my graduating class gave me wasn't  materializing, so at the end of April in 1949 I left for Detroit.

Things didn't work out for Irv either in the begining., and he ended up moving his family to Alpena and working for Besser. As you know, Irv became bowler of the year in Alpena and Dennis grew up learning his bowling in Alpena. I think it was around 1970 that Irv finally got back to Rogers City. He began by promoting a match with old Rogers City bowlers from out of town, to bowl against Alpena's best. This was to open up Rogers City's Centennial Year Celebration. Those bowling on that team were: Jim Bison from Saginaw:  Jim was a bowler that began performing in Rogers City after my time. The first time I met him was at this function. He did make a name for himself bowling in Saginaw Mi.  Things are foggy here for me, but did he have something to do with the Bowling Alley in Saginaw?  I seem to recall he bowled in T.V. tournaments in Saginaw and had great success winning monies.  His achievements there were publicly noted and coverage given in Northern Michigan papers.  Jim threw a beautiful Fishtail ball, that was a joy to watch. He reminded me of Father Dan.  This was the first and only time that I saw him.  

Another was Irv.  Irv is not here to speak for himself, and who am I.   Well I am fully capable of recognizing his talent and there are plenty of stats to support him as being a great bowler.   Because his greatest exploits were in Saginaw , should not keep him from being put into the Rogers City Bowling Hall of fame.  He is a Rogers Cityan and that qualifies him. Take a look at Hall of Fames, it just isn't restricted to Hometown or state achievements.  I nominate him for the Rogers City Hall of Fame. Yet I only saw him bowl once, in Alpena and Rogers City.  This justifies it as far as I am concerned. Mainly because I knew of some other statistics.

Another was Carl Heller.   This is the only time I saw him bowl.   He threw a curve ball that was unbelievable to control.   In fact, today’s bowlers do much of this.   He had to throw it out to the gutters edge with the proper angle and then it would tare for the pocket.   Boom!!   He now runs the Heller’s gift and card shop in Rogers City.   To bad he wasn't ever recruited for bowling in R.C.   He surely would have light up many strikes along with the other R.C. bowlers of today.   I might also add here, that his mother is a sister to my sister -in-law, Ruth Taylor Zinke.   She is married to my brother Eugene Zinke.

Another was Bruce Zinke from Essexville, Bay City suburb.  Bruce is my third cousin.   He accomplished better bowling after I left Rogers City.   He was somewhat younger than I, but his brothers and sisters were known well to me.

Then there is me.    Bob Zinke from Sterling Heights, MI.  At that time I was a single divorcee, and living in an apartment.

There was Dennis Bannasch from Alpena.    Coming from the Detroit area that night was a real problem as there was a terrific snow storm. Coming from Hillman to Rogers City, we had to drive through  ten to twelve inches of snow. With much difficulty making it through Hawks, we finally made it into Rogers City. The next day, it was off to Alpena, to bowl them there. We had to wait for our team to make it in . While waiting, Bud Kasperski came in and we had a big hug and sat down to talk of old times. He brought up the doubles match he and I had against Eddie Kowalski and Dave Talaska in Rogers City at the end of the 1945-46 season. Eddie and Bud grew up together in Alpena and were great friends. Eddie was Buds counterpart running the Alpena Lanes, and Dave was my counterpart as Alpena's counterboy.  Well, we took these two on in a five game match on old Alley 5 and 6.   In this match, Bud and I both had two  games of 240, two games of 230,  and one game of 220. They then picked up their balls, soundly thrashed, and headed back to Alpena. I told Bud, I had never had a greater thrill in all my bowling years, and Bud countered, neither have I.  When the match finally began, I knew I wasn't just a man Bob Zinke bowling on this team. Bud Kasperski was throwing ever ball with me.   We soundly trounced Alpena and I took one of the jackposts. I was fourth high with a series in the 620's.   Bruce Zinke was low with 560.  He is my third cousin.    This was only the scores of our team  The jackpots were for the total ten bowlers.    

Back to Rogers City and bowling them there. Irv had a board up, depicting our scores and victory in Alpena. Karl Vogelheim was again the Master of Ceremony and after the introductions, we began our bowling on Irv's well dressed alley's. Both teams had difficulty finding a line on the lanes, but Dennis  did well the second game, opening up with eight in a row. He was the only bowler to bowl 600. The Alpena bowlers found it extremely difficult to snap off their hooks. Their anchor man, barely broke 400 and he was a bowler with several 700 series under his belt.   In fact this man had to mark in the last frame of the last game to make it.  I also experienced this same struggle one time in Alpena.   Not to bowl a 400 series would be worse than not bowling  a 100 game.

I believe today a different criteria is used in dressing Lanes.   At that time if the Lanes were oiled it was done with an oil spray can.   I would walk up and down the lanes on oiling night with the spray can and spray out the oil from the head pin all the way back to the foul line.   When you began the evening bowling for the first game the ball would have a ring of oil on it, in the track that you threw.   Midway in the second game the Allies would normalize a little and the oil would fade and your ball would begin to be a little more normal in the action you expected.   I have written this in so you know why the bowling was much more different in R.C.   No Oil in Alpena and scores were high.  Oil in Rogers City and scores were low.  That’s why Dennis' 600 was a big achievement.   I struggled and just fell short of 500, but the important thing is, we again took the match.

I would like to give judgement for the greatest bowlers in Rogers City, from its begining through the 1948-49 season. I can't count Father Dan, because I think he was only there for two or three seasons. Irv Bannasch was there  for the last three and all of you know about him, , and the well-deserved honor you gave him, by puting him into both sides of your hall of Fame. Earl  (Bergie) Platz gets my vote for the best bowler of this time. Francis ( Bud) Kasperski was his equal, but not better, even though he bowled a 700 series. Norman  (Penny) Hoeft  was a shirtail behind, with Harry Boutin, a nose behind him. I had grown up from the age of ten, learning the game and rubbing shoulders with them. After my first season, in the tenth grade, I proved I could ride in the front seat with any of them. In those years this should have been the best bowling team Rogers City had to offer.

A comment here on Bud Kasperski is in order.   According to the 1940 Advance Articles that state the Bowling Alley began operation in Oct 1940  this would mean that Bud would only have bowled two years before leaving for the Army in WWII one year in 1945-46 season.   I know and so do others that Bud had at least three years in by then and bowled a total of at least five years in Rogers City.

The game of bowling has been good to me, but it also is a great teacher. Life in itself is a bowling game. You have to get down into the pits and set the pins to begin with. It's also full of gutter balls, and missed spares. Don't sit back there and bemoan your bad toss. Step up to the rack, and know that with the next throw there lays a strike. Life cannot be spent in negativity, but by applying, the great fishtail into the pocket, you can know that life is a 300 game attained.

A good example of this was my friend Irv Bannasch. Irv had his share of gutter balls and missed spares in his life. When I would come back to Rogers City, at times I would stop into the alleys and talk with him for hours. We had a bond which separated our bowling together but never our feeling for each other. Irv in his later years , with his physical afflictions, still went up to the rack, stood at the line, threw his bowling ball, not the power of old, but a strike never-the-less . I now stop off at times, to visit with his son, Dennis, to fill this void. So once again, are you pitying  yourself? Get out your old trophy shoes, and put them on,. Step up to the rack, pick up your ball, set yourself on your approach, open up your collar, and begin your approach, cock your elbow, putting the ball below your eyes, takinig bead squarely on the dark board to the right of the first arrow. Release the ball and as it hits it's mark, hear the echo of a voice from bowlers heaven hollering, "Peaches is got eyes Peaches is got eyes", as it slams dead into the pocket and a clean sweep of the pins into the pit.

Benny Bergs comments. He has the bowling ball that Bud Kasperski bowled his 700 series with. When Bud left for the Army, he sold his ball to Benny. He says, he bowled with Bud on the same team it was a 709.  This no doubt was the R.C. Hardware Team that Emil Peltz sponsored.)

Benny also told me about an incident with Father Dan, when his throw resulted in a split, he asked him  what his lips were saying, and the reply was, " If I had spit on the alley, it would have burnt a hole in the floor." I also was reminded of Pastor Weber and Father Dan becoming good friends, with Weber telling Dan, " I have been to your church, when are you going to return the visit:" which supposedly happened. Pastor Weber was a fairly good bowler and I recall he bowled for the R.C. Dry Cleaners.

Owen Lamb reminded me that it was his Dad, who made the Trophy Showcase, to honor Penny Hoeft, and helped his father construct the Lucky Strike Recreation  sign.

Bob Yerk's reminded me about the times when the bowler had some match games and they would last until 2:00 am to 3:00 am. They would bribe us to continue setting pins by throwing quarters down the lanes to us.

Yes this surely did happen, but mainly before I came onto the scene.  The old pinboys told me of these things, and Bob Yerks was there at that time.   It barely was crumbs when I came on the scene, as the bowlers didn't bowl till all hours of the night anymore). 

Tony Przybyla Jr. reminded me of the time he was a kid and came to bowl his first game. I was tending the counter. He asked for a size thirteen shoe, but for Junior size. I told him to bowl in his stocking feet. Then I located a pair of gunboat thirteens and  came and put one in each gutter and told him there were his Thirteens.

Tony also stated how Chet Mosher would take a half hour shuffling from the Thompson House to the Bowling Alley.  He had injured himself someway, and his walking was restricted to a shuffle.  This had no effect however when he approached the foul line to release his bowling ball.   Chet boarded at Florips and then later moved to the Thompson House.  Those pinboys of this time era should remember Chet Mosher.

Denish Banasch commented to me about his first bowling ball was bought by his Dad from the Bean Brothers in East Detroit  [Eastpointe today].  John Beard ran it, and drilled three holes into a Duck Pin Ball so Dennis could throw it. Dennis says he would throw the ball and then run back and set up the pins. They were duck pins to begin with. Within three year, John Beard says you're ready for a bigger ball. This one was 3/4 size of a regular bowling ball, which was around 6 and 3/4's diameter and weighed 6 to 7 pounds. He was bowling at regular pins and had to run back and set up for himself, which meant jumping up for the rack handle, which I could identify with. Dennis picked up his first bowling ball at the age of four. One of those thirteen pound ones . He forgot to wipe the butter off his finger and onto his big toe it plunked.  As a result the squealing was louder than a pig caught under a fence. All of this today prepared Dennis for the fine job he is now doing managing Nautical Lanes. In the 1991-92 season  he did accomplish the dream 300 game. Is there any thing better.

I wrote this story in the Fall of 1991. In early December I sent a copy of my story to Hank Modrzynski. Within twenty four hours of receiving it he called me and we spoke for a half hour. He related to me that the bowling alley did indeed open in the early fall of 1937. Frank made all the pinboys go to the Court House at that time to get their Social Security Card. He mentioned how green jackets were bought for them with lettering on the back saying Rogers City pinboys.  They were paid three cents a line and could bowl free as long as they set pins for each other

In 1938  sometime, Alley Seven was constructed so there could be open bowling on league nights. He reminded me how he bowled for the R. E. A. and I said yes, you had black shirts with red letters. I also related to him it was Tuesday nights and that's when I set pins in his place so he could bowl. At this time, the pinboys were charged fifteen cents a line and paid four cents a line to help compensate. The leagues were always charged at least five cents more a line. Also Hank recalled me bowling and the big curve ball I threw. Hank also stated how when he retired he requested his earning back all the way to when he began setting pins in the bowling alley, in 1937.  Hank was at least 4 years or more older then I.   To say that he couldn't have a handle on when he received his Social Security Card  is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the reasons I wrote this story was to clarify when the bowling ally opened up.   It seemed like everything I read pointed to the fall of 1940.   I know this wasn't right.   I even tried researching in the Court House trying to find out.   It's true the property was not paid for in full till 1940 from Michigan Limestone.   It also is true that the grand opening didn't take place till the fall of 1940, but does this mean the bowling alley wasn't there and operating in the fall of 1937?   Of course not.   There are many businesses and homes built on properties that aren't  owned outright right  away.   There are grand openings delayed many times for whatever the reason.   It is recorded that this was the  first season for sanctioned bowling. If this had something to do with it, I don't know.   Also, if this was the case that the bowling lanes didn't operate then, it would mean that Bud Kasperski only bowled and worked here for the 1940-41 and 41-42 season. , for any of you old timers, know that Bud spent more years than that there. 

 

This is what is called a Paradox, where both statements are true.  The Grand Opening was in the Fall of 1940.   The Bowling Alley open up for business in the fall of 1937, but wasn't open and ready for the full fledged business until the Fall of 1940.    

Paul Stone related he knows for sure the Bowling Alley was there in 1938. He associates it with the year he began sailing.

Phil Nowicki Jr says he knows it was there in  1939 as it was then he got his Social Security Card so he could set pins.

Cauts Bruning says he remembers it being there in the late 1930's as he always delivered milk to Parsons. He also mentioned the fact that alley seven was put in so there could be open bowling during leagues. This information coincides with what Hank Modrzynski said in his quotes. Neither one was coping the other, but speaking for himself.

I also found in 1940 that in February of that year bowling scores and short articles appeared stating bowling in the new bowling Alley. I asked Bud Schultz and Loyd Piechan, whose names appeared in the box scores about it., and they both stated the bowling alley was there at  that time. Loyd went on to say he knew he bowled there in 1939.  ( Add On: I stood in the Advance Office for four hours  1 p.m. to 5 p.m. looking for information to help substantiate my claims. This piece here is the one that really convinced Dennis Bannasch in full support of my story. Other things did also because after all, he would check with some of the people in the story and they did render support to me.  He felt it was a little inconceivable for me just to make this up before 1940. 

It was several years later that  I happened to be in Rogers City at the main banquet time at seasons end and Den gave me a pass to come join the group. That evening Tony Przybala Jr was entered into the Bowling Alley Hall of Fame.    Good going Tony!   Myron Peltz also gave a talk against my information concerning the Bowling Alleys beginning.   Also the evening after party I sat with Myron and Bill Grossman and others.   I mentioned to the group that I did find proof in the Advance  relating this info of February 1940. Myron had said he looked and found nothing. I informed him that I gave the information to Dennis and he has it. By accident I came into the Alley's the next day when Den and Mike came out of the office and Mike had seen the article. I said nothing per say it spoke for  itself.    

I know Myron is at least 3 years and maybe four younger than I.   He also mentioned how he took care of the counter for Frank Buza.   I would like to entertain that, then.   The most his age could have been was nine . Even in 1943 he would then be 12 at the most.  I have mentiond the counterboys in this story and I assure you it is pretty accurate.  So what kind of Counter tending did he do.   I do remember this that Mike's father Emil Peltz, when he came back into town from his Lansing Rep duties had the habit of always stopping in to visit with Frank Buza in his office. On many occasions Mike was along and then Frank would get him behind the counter. Well tending customers wasn't foreign to Mike as his Dad owned the R. C. Hardware and I am sure he did some tending there.     I will add that Mike and brother Wally did set pins. Wally more than Mike.  When the Peltz boys got older they were tapped to help in their Dads Hardware store.     It is true that Mike did tend the Bowling Alley in latter years , when Paul Hopp gave up and Irv moved to Alpena. I know some others did also.    

Something that I never talked about was probably in the latter 1950's I came up to Rogers City and stopped into the Allies. I found Paul and Irv in the back of the pits. I could see they were a bit downhearted and they  informed me that they needed someone to run the Bowling Alley. Was I interested. Well sure in my heart I was, but common sense said I couldn't. I had married Paul Hopps niece and she had two children and our first one had an incurable Liver Decease. I was working for Dodge Manie and we had Blue Cross Insurance. Believe me it was surely something our family made much use of.  Also I realized if Irv had so much trouble with staying how could I make it. My set of pins from my graduation class didn't materialize again.          

In the fall of 1991 I spoke with Captain [First Mate] Butch Modrzynski. I believe Raymond is his first name and he indeed agreed that he set pins as early as 1938 and also received his Social Security Card at age 12.

Likewise, in the fall of 1991, I spoke with Chester Kuchinski of the Center Shop and he indeed did remember me as a pin setter and a good bowler. He's two years older than I and he started to setting pins in the years 1938-39, etc.  He also commented,  “That was your second home wasn't it?”  I couldn't argue with that more.

The reason I have written these quotes by these people is to substantiate the fact the bowling alley began bowling in the fall of 1937.

A last notation on Adolf ( Mutts) Quade.   At our Hardies Reunion onn Aug 9, 1992, we discussed our bowling together on Bruning’s Dairy.  Cauts Bruning began his team in the 1940-41 season and Mutts has bowled continuously since then.  That sums up to 52 years.  If Irving Grulke is still bowling he can challenge that.   Eli Rygwolski began in 1937-38 season, but has recently passed away.  This is certainly worthy of bowling recognition. Mutts related how small I was, but still able to throw a great game of bowling. 

I am writing this in 2003 and at our 2002 Hardies reunion he informed me he still was bowling.   Do the math and I am sure he has the record for longevity.   I also read in the Advance he was put into the R.C. Bowling Hall of Fame, and he confirmed that to me with a big smile.
     

My story is now coming to a close.  Did I ever bowl the dream, 300 game?  No, but I did open up with ten in a row in a second game, bowling in a Champion of Champion Tournament in Detroit.  It was at Hazel Park Bowl.  I never bowled there before or since.  I know the feeling of the tenth frame pressure of a 300 game.  I had a 285.  The 700 series eluded me, with my best being 694.  Five times in my life, I marked all thirty frames, making splits when I had them, in a league nights bowling.  On one of these occasions, I didn't break a 600 series, as I had only one double.  In a Lutheran Tournament in Toledo, I marked for forty two straight frames while bowling with my brother Gene in doubles and singles.  I also averaged 190-92 six times in differant Bowling Alley's.
`My greatest one ball thrill came way back in the 1942-43 season.  The bowling season was over, but open bowling was available.  It was Norm ‘Gib’ Karsten and I pitted against Norm Glosser and Pete Bellmore.  We started bowling early and when  we were interrupted to set pins, we would set our games aside till we could resume.   At one o'clock in the morning , we were still at it, but we took a break, for a good John Parsons hamburger before he closed.   Bowling resumed  after the refreshment, neither of us could apply a final blow.  After bowling 26 games, we each had an even amount of lines to pay for.  At 3:30 am we began bowling one final game, losers pay for the works. It came down to the last frame and I had to mark or Gib and I would be forfeiting two weeks pay.   I got up and threw my green ball, and it turned for the pocket, but it was a little light and it left the (Woolworth 5-10) split.    Norm Glosser is jumping up and down hollering , "I will kiss your behind if you make that."   I looked at Gib and he was just shaking his head.   I grabbed the thirteen pound green ebonite and said to myself, Bob, if you throw the same ball you will make it, because, the way it's taking, it should clip the five and make it.   There was no nervousness here, nothing like throwing the eleventh ball towards 300.   I took my three step approach at that time, and the ball was right on its mark.   As it began to turn for the five pin, I took a step backward, for I knew it had a chance, and then back fast, as the ball clipped the five sending it in a beautiful flight right at the ten pin.   I bent over and offered Norm my behind.   Gib and I had just saved two weeks wage.
     

This concludes my story.   I am sorry I had to talk about myself so much.   It was the only way I could tell the story.   I know I left some people out, but forgive me.   How about some of you orginal pinboys?   Can you recall and write something interesting.?  How about it, Charley and Clearance Furtaw?   You were orginals. Are You There?     
   

It is also noteworthy that some of the original pinboys walked miles to and from the Bowling Alley.  There were many from what at that time was called Polishtown. The south end of Rogers City.   Going to the southeren edge of town was more than a mile. They would walk in groups which rendered a safety of sorts to be sure everyone made it home. There were two originals though who would walk back and forth from Petersvile, the little suburb south of Rogers City.   Henry (Hank) and brother Butch Modrzynski.   Never mind if it was snowing pretty fierce outside. Pinboying was the order of the day.  Then there were the Krusch boys Melvin and Nelson.   I am not sure if they still lived on the Golf Course building at the Heythaler Corner, but very possible.   George Wallace lived beyond that in some, of the south Baker area.   George Wallace was a great guy and young pinboys always flocked to him .  He walked at least 3 miles back and forth. Always dependable to be there.    In those days there weren't many farmers that came in for Bowling so rides in and back home were a little scarce.  Allen Taylor could help on Thursdays.   There were nights if they were bad some of the bowlers would go out of their way and take them home. We all loved our Pinboy Club.
     

An event that I missed in the first writing is really a noteworthy one. It was bowling in the Royal Classic on the eastside of Detroit.  This particular Tournament was a $20,000.00 first prize. It was an individual score and you bowled 6 games across 12 lanes.    It was no handicap and you had to have a 185 mean average or below.   I think it was something like the end of the 1946-47 bowling season.   There was Irv Bannasch, my brother Gene Zinke, two others, lapse my memory, and myself.   We piled into my Hudson and headed for Detroit. Just south of Bay City on the M 15  the engine went bang and the lights started flashing.  A piston rod  broke.    We got it into a garage and I called my aunt in Bay City and they came and got me.  I stayed to keep track of my car.   The rest of the group caught a Greyhound Bus and made it into Detroit to Bowl.    They came back empty handed.    They scheduled a time for some time in late spring or early summer, for me to bowl.   As things worked out I left for Detroit after coming back to Rogers City and did a brief 3 month stay working at the Briggs Conner Plant in Detroit.   Upon bowling my late Tournament time, I was a lone young man amongst big bowlers.   I was asked to sign my name by the scorekeeper and I told him I was to nervous.    He said do it later.   I began bowling and had trouble delivering the  ball.     Finally in the fifth frame I made a spare and had just below 50.    I signed my name and began to calm down.   I didn't win anything either, but I did end up with a 182 average for the 6 games across 12 alleys.   While in Detroit in latter years numerous times, I bowled in this Tournament, (Monies kept rising higher every year.   Finally this tournament stopped as I understand the head men ran off with the money) and once I did bowl  well over 1200.   It was enough to get my entry fee money back.   Here again it shows how Irv Bannasch was the ever Bowling  enthusiest.
     

Now I would like to write a little about Karl Vogelheim.   Karl was no bowler at all.   I can't recall of him throwing the bowling ball.   He never entered the Bowling Alley and faned for any bowler.  Oh!!!, but there are many other qualities he had that are connected with bowling.   He was a man for Rogers City above all.   Caring about our civic progress and the well being of Rogers Cityans.   This caused him to be involved in the political arena.   This also made him tangent in one way or another to all the areas of need in Rogers City.   Yes he was a Democrat, Democrat. Agree with Him or not, Rogers City was his goal for its good.     He was heavily involved in good history of Rogers City and preserving its history and making it known.    He researched and wrote much history of Rogers City people and its natural resource and beauty.   Even though I disagreed with him on some issues his devotion is to be cherished.   I might add here His counter-part Harry Whitely  is on the same level.   Rogers City,  you have been blessed to have these two men. (Harry is still in there pitching in 2003).
     

In the winter of 1991  my wife, Mary and I came up to visit my mother and I naturally went to the Bowling Alley in the evening.  I had read a lot over the years on the Bowling Alleys beginning and just couldn't believe it. That evening I spoke with many and I new I had to do something to “pick” their memory.  I decided to call Karl Vogelheim, right then and there.   Upon explaining to him who I was.   Why I wanted to write a story on the early Bowling Alley in Rogers City.   He said .. "Do It" then let me read it. 
     

Upon  this encourgement from Karl, back to Troy Mi, I would go out to my motorhome and write the Story.  I was amazed as I did this, in yearly events, how events came back to me.    Upon an unproof copy which my wife typed up, I was ready to give Karl a copy. I had called Karl on occasions during the writing for confidence.. While visiting my mother at Christmas time I gave Karl a copy.  He was back the next day and over to Millie Mertz's we went.  He had already been there and Millie had already read his copy. I also had a copy that I gave her.   She was just amazed at what I wrote , but didn't agree with the starting date.  I said I couldn't back down on the dates, because of my Social Security Card activated on March 25, 1940.   I still didn't get approval for an Advance edit by them.
     

Upon my winter in Florida I got a person to proof-read it to a good degree, and then sent it to the Advance.  They then did publish it.   Karl wrote a nice piece about it in his column.   Again a thank you to Karl for his efforts on this stories behalf.
     

I also had a visit with Harry Whiteley, and yes he did remember my face.  He liked the story, but wouldn't commit one way or the other about it. He even took time to have some articles sent to me.  Also Millie Mertz sent me some articles. Millie was the first to write and have events published in the Advance, sometime in the early 1950's, on the women’s endeavors.   As I have stated earlier in the story there was not much publishing of the bowling events during the beginning of bowling, and the 1940's.  One case though  in Feb 1940.

Guy Creagh:  How to start out and give this man the credit he deserves.  There is no fan that was so positively vocal for bowling, and also a man who did it with a dignity of grace. Many of you yet alive have experienced just what I have stated.   (My father had a zeal for baseball in a similar fashion, but nothing vocal to all around, or carry the hat at baseball games for money support, that we attended throughout the County, just wasn't in his nature, but the zeal was quietly there that  Guy Creagh carried, and through his Bowling Ball with his supportive actions, other then throwing the bowling ball itself.  What a wonderful picture he left us.
     

There is another event outside of Bowling that many don't know about him. I don't know if any are alive yet, or if any know of this one. What I am about to write now, I believe is another side of him and a special group of friends of his.  I am not sure if It was in 1945-46. Anyway Guy ran a Dry Cleaning business 3 doors south of the Bowling Alley.  It later became Bob Lalonde and Dorothy Horn Lalonde’s establishment.   Guy came into the Bowling Alley and said Bobby I need a short hand. Well you come and help me?   Why in a flash we were at his place and remedied the situation. He then proceeded to take me downstairs in his shop. I don't know of anyone ever hearing of a downstairs in this building.   He showed me a sight that many never knew or heard about.   There were 2 gorgeous  poker tables in just great shape. Deck of cards on them.  On the bulletin board were numerous Royal Flushses pinned up and who had them. Well I venture to say there was no cutting of pots or any charging for drinks. It was not a Blind Pig, but just a place in his home for friends to have a Poker Game, even as Dwight Eisenhower did with friends while in service.  They didn't play Spitzer for  nickles, dimes and quarters, as many do in their homes and else- where.  They had these little get together and had a load of fun even as all of the great Spitzer Players still do in Rogers City. 


                                          THIS IS A FIGURATIVE EVENT
 

The end of the 1948-49 season.  Irv asked me to run the place one more time. A nice crisp April evening. I had supper at home and grabbed the keys and left for the Lanes. The key went into the lock as usual and I knew it was the last time. With a step of dancing, and glee around the counter to the light switch.  The Bowling Alley light was turned on.  The nice big vertical sign light:  BOWLING.   I switched on the floor and counter lights and looked over the restrooms to see all was in order.    Now for public bowling. a few  bowlers came in, but it was a slow night.   I went and bowled a game hoping I just might get lucky and get that 300 game, NO Go.   The night dragged on and finally I turned out the lights, but suddenly I turned them back on.  I turned each Alley light on, and I took a walk down past Alley 7.   I took the front ball on the return rack, reached over the rack and slowly set it down and shoved it on the Lanes.   It began to travel about as slowly as Berdie Maye Fink's ball.   I followed it down as it tracked its way down.   I stood by the head pin spot watching as it rolled sweetly into the American Pocket area.   Just plain Beautiful.   I did do just this many times.   I picked up the ball and sent it back on the return rail, and then set the Alley 7 rack, jumped to six and all the way down to 1.    I sat down on my old comfortable perch for a time. Then all of a sudden appeared Bergy Plaths on Alley I,  Bud Kasperski on 2, Penny Hoeft on 3, Father Dan on 4, Harry Boutin on 5, Irv Bannash on 6, Ethel Reisner, Wickersham on 7.   I left and went up front and took my station behind the counter.   I also now noted that Guy Creigh was score-keeping behind Alley 4.   I blinked my eyes and said I am seeing things.   I plunked the door keys on the counter  turned the outside Bowling Light off, locked  and went out the front door.   l began to take the walk home through the alley runing between the house's and the back of the Bowling Alley.   I was about to turn into our back yard, when all of a sudden I heard the sound of bowling balls hitting pins.   Now a very loud echo being sounded.   “PEACH'S IS GOT EYES, PEACH'S IS GOT EYES”, as each ball had found its mark and a clean sweep of all of the pins into the pit.   So ended a young lads first hearing the rumble of bowling pins and its final strike.   Most of this paragraph is allegorical. 


Which pinboy in Rogers City history had the most fun in the 1940s and after?  With a humble pride I do declare it was I, Robert "Bobby" Zinke.  Frank Always called me "Bobby"

Robert "Bobby" Zinke   yourman "at" charter.net

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