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St. Louis Press Radio TV League renamed for

Hall of Fame Writer John Archibald

by Scott Simon

 

Effective immediately, the St. Louis Press Radio TV has been changed to the John J. Archibald St. Louis Press Radio TV League.

 

Members unanimously voted for the name change on April 26 during to honor the long time St. Louis Post Dispatch bowling writer who also was a league member for 60 years until retiring in February 2009 after suffering a stroke.

 

Archibald, a 1949 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, worked atthe Post Dispatch his entire career from 1950 until his retirement in 1990.

He covered St. Louis bowling for 40 years including the night in 1958 that the famed Budweiser team of Dick Weber, Don Carter, Ray Bluth, Pat Patterson and Tom Hennessey shot a then-ABC record 3858 team series at Floriss Lanes. John also covered the the PBA from its formative period in the 1960's until his retirement. He is a life member of the Bowling Writers Association of America and was their President in 1970.

 

John was elected to the St. Louis USBC Hall of Fame in 1985, the PBA Hall of Fame in 1989 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 1996. He also authored the book, Bowling for Boys and Girls, published by Follett Publications in 1963

 

Outside the newsroom, John steadfastly promoted and participated in the Press Radio TV league, formed in the 1930's for workers at the St. Louis daily newspapers at the time, the Post Dispatch, St. Louis Globe Democrat and St. Louis Star Times. During his 60 year membership in the league, he witnessed league changes from a newspaper employee-only league to including workers at the city's radio and television stations and finally the inclusion of women in the league for the first time during the 2009-10 season.

 

The league will honor John Archibald with a plaque and celebrate the league's new name in September at Olivette Lanes when it begins the 2010-11 season.

 

 

Add John Wonders to the list of 50 years at the U.S. Open Championships

Becomes 129th bowler to accomplish the feat

 

First it was Clancy Mueller who accomplished 50 years at the U.S. Open Championship. Add John Wonders to the list when he bowled in late May. Story reprinted from USBC Communications.

 

RENO, Nev. - John Wonders Sr. of Florissant, Mo., added his name to the record books at the USBC Open Championships when he became the 129th bowler in history to compete in 50 tournaments.

The 75-year-old right-hander has competed in 33 cities in 20 states and made his ceremonial march down Center Aisle surrounded by family and friends at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Overall, his five decades on the championship lanes have been memorable.

"It's been fun," said Wonders, who bowls league at Camelot Bowl in Collinsville, Ill. "I have done a lot of traveling throughout my time at the tournament. We used to travel in motor homes across the country, and I always looked forward to traveling to the next city."

While Wonders was making his 50th appearance, his brother Rich, a USBC Hall of Famer, was celebrating 45 years. Although the brothers did not share the lanes for team Saturday, Wonders was joined by his niece, Jenny, who has competed in eight Open Championships.

Their companion team included his sons, James (15 tournaments), Jason (14), Joshua (12) and John Jr. (five). His other son, Jeffrey, was unable to make the trip, but has made 13 Open Championships appearances. Together, the group has combined for 162 years at the tournament.

"I have bowled doubles with each of my sons at least once," Wonders said. "I have also bowled with my niece. It is always nice to bowl with your family."

Wonders has been a major player in the bowling industry for much of his life, and he was a co-founder of the Hammer bowling ball brand, which still is a recognizable name on the lanes.

"The Hammer brand was a huge success," Wonders said. "My partner and I got into the business because we wanted to make bowling balls, and we wanted to make a living. We wanted to make the best bowling balls available, and we did for that for a long time. It was a very good run for the company."

After selling the company, Wonders and his sons decided to start a new project and created Visionary Bowling Products. He credits his sons for the Visionary idea.

"My sons are really the company," Wonders said. "They wanted to do it. When they graduated from college, they put their heads together and decided they wanted to make bowling balls. They are all very smart, and each of them brings something unique to the table. All of them were around when I was making bowling balls, so they decided to do the same thing. The company is really about them."

Now that Wonders has joined the 50-year Club at the Open Championships, his sons will have the chance to follow in his footsteps on the lanes, too.

"There is no reason why they shouldn't keep bowling," Wonders said. "The goal is to have fun, and hopefully, they continue to do so. If they choose to keep bowling, it will be their decision. It has been an exciting experience for me, and I know they enjoy it, too."

Wonders, who made his tournament debut at the 1960 event in Toledo, Ohio, finished his milestone appearance with 577 in doubles, 569 in singles and 501 in team for a 1,647 all-events total. He also teamed up with Rich for a 1,182 doubles total Sunday.

In 50 years on the tournament lanes, Wonders has knocked down 83,355 pins for a career average of 186.4.