Bowling alley was ‘the perfect spot’

Petaluma’s indoor recreational opportunities reached a milestone the weekend of April 18 and 19, 1959, with the eagerly anticipated opening of the then ultra-modern Boulevard Bowl and the dedication of the Petaluma Veterans War Memorial Auditorium, located on adjoining properties near the city’s southern entrance.

The combined openings brought a feeling of excitement, the Veterans building for its ability to hold large gatherings and community events, and the bowling alley for its promise of friendly, family-oriented entertainment and state-of-the-art equipment.

As a kid, Jerry Stewart learned to love bowling by watching his parents, Vern and Reba, roll spares and strikes at John Croci’s seven-lane Petaluma Bowl on Kentucky Street. By the mid-1950s, the 10-year-old was honing his skills and learning the nuances of the game by using his mother’s ball and working as a pinsetter.

When Croci’s vision — a modern bowling alley equipped with the newest American Machine & Foundry automated pin-setting machines, a “radar ray” foul-line violation detector, and automatic ball return on 20 lanes — opened that weekend, attendees found themselves in a spacious building with a coffee shop, cocktail lounge, childcare and parking for 170 cars. Built at a cost of $400,000, Croci was among the happiest people in town.

Stewart, 15 at the time, shared his jubilation.

“When Boulevard Bowl opened, my dad was hired as the head maintenance mechanic,” said Stewart. “I learned from him and from working as a pin chaser, which meant when the trouble button was pressed I’d look for the problem and fix it. I enjoyed lots of time to practice my game.”

Displaying poise and maturity, the talented Stewart quickly became a standout. As a teen, he competed in men’s leagues. He studied his arm swing, release and follow-through and learned about ball rotation, lane transition and oil patterns and observed how other bowlers approached the lanes.

“I found out pretty early that I was really good, so I stuck with it,” said Stewart. “When you’re a kid and you can do something better than others, you want to keep improving. I went from men’s league to junior league when I joined a Santa Rosa traveling team. I already had a 180 average and we held the highest team average in the United States.”

There are 39 boards in a 41.5-inch-wide lane, Stewart pointed out.

“The first 16 feet of its 6-foot length are maple and the rest is pine,” he said. “Lane managers learn how lanes change during games. It’s a lot more intricate than most people understand. That’s advanced bowling.”

In 1962, he married Marlene Straub, an excellent bowler and skilled fishing companion, who won 13 ladies’ city championships and numerous titles traveling the country with her husband. The couple were married 54 years until her death in 2016.

Stewart briefly tried his hand at building houses, but soon realized he was not cut out for carpentry.

“I liked the work, but I was always tired, so I dropped it and went back to the bowling alley, where I made half as much, but it was twice as easy,” he said. “My main job, my whole life, was working at bowling alleys, while my wife worked as a federal meat inspector. When bowling was well known, everybody frequented the bowling alley. It was socially acceptable. Pro bowlers Dick Webber and Don Carter were my idols and bowling was a common subject on ‘The Honeymooners’ and ‘All in the Family.’”

In 1975, Stewart took over management of the 10-lane Thunderbird Lanes, at Hamilton Field in Novato.

“That was the perfect spot for me,” he said. “I could go bowling in tournaments and practice for free. My wife and I traveled all around the country. I ran it for 18 years before I joined the senior tour in 1994. That year, after calculating my winnings and subtracting my expenses from the tour, I came out 10 cents in the black.”

Stewart was honored to have sponsorship and wear a bowling shirt with his name embroidered on the back. It’s the ultimate achievement. Challenged by the rise in other recreational and outdoor activities, bowling has dropped in popularity since the so-called Golden Age of Bowling, from the 1950s to the late 1970s.

“If you want to make a career out of bowling, you’ll need to hang around a bowling alley, and that’s expensive,” said Stewart. “The mental side of the game is very important, and you’ve got to be able to throw the ball pretty well. I’ve bowled all over the country and I’ve had a few memorable moments, but I didn’t do anything special.”

Modesty aside, the parlor of Stewart’s Victorian home displays a sparkling showcase of awards and memorabilia he and Marlene won in competition.

“If you look, you’ll see my wife had as many trophies as I have,” noted Stewart.

A three-time state champion, he was Petaluma Men’s Bowling champion in 1968, doubles champions in 1969 and California Men’s champion in 1975. He’s bowled sixty-four 300 games, nine in sanctioned tournaments, and once rolled a 900 series, 36 consecutive strikes, at Country Club Lanes in San Rafael.

“I had a witness,” he said, smiling.

Although he’s been nicely rewarded for his bowling achievements, Stewart will tell you many of his finest trophies have come from the waters of the Smith River, where he and Marlene caught prize-winning trout, steelhead and salmon for many years.

“I had to give up bowling last year,” said the 77-year-old. “It’s pretty discouraging when your body tells you it you can’t do something anymore. But I still love to go fishing. I spend a month or more up there every year.”

Harlan Osborne’s “Toolin’ Around Town” appears every other week in the Argus-Courier. You can reach Harlan at Harlan@sonic.net.