Terry Painter set to be inducted into Burlington bowling Hall of Fame
STRONGHURST, Illinois -- Terry Painter always considered himself a pretty fair bowler.
Painter, who will turn 62 on Halloween, carries an average of just above 200.
But Hall of Fame good?
Painter never fancied himself at that caliber.
But on Oct. 22, Painter will be inducted into the Burlington Area Bowling Association's Hall of Fame during the annual awards ceremony.
It is a night Pinter never dreamed possible.
"I'm humbled by this. I really wasn't expecting it. I am very honored," Painter said. "I'm a pretty good bowler, but I don't consider myself a Hall of Fame bowler. I think it is more for longevity and service than anything else."
Painter started bowling at a young age in LaHarpe, Illinois,. His parents would drop him off at the bowling alley while they did their grocery shopping. His father bought him his first bowling ball and away he went.
Painter's father, David, was an avid bowler . He and two of Terry Painter's cousins are in the Bowling Hall of Fame.
Painter spent most of his time bowling at Country Fun Lanes near Biggsville, Illinois, before that establishment burned to the ground in 2011.
Many of Painter's fondest memories came at that bowling establishment.
"I was a member there for years," Painter said. "I worked with the youth program there for years and I coached West Central High School's bowling teams for a few years. My niece, Montana Pence, was a really good bowler for West Central. She went on to bowl at William Penn University. We followed her all over the nation when she was in college. We went to Las Vegas, Texas, everywhere she went. That was a lot of fun."
Painter, who retired from working at the Henderson County Highway Department in 2015, spends most of his time bowling at Tombstone Lanes in Monmouth, Illinois. He still helps out with the Henderson County Highway Department from time to time. The office is just two blocks from his house and he said he still does bridge inspections for the county.
"I still bowl Tuesdays and Thursdays in Monmouth and I try to bowl in as many tournaments as I can in Burlington," Painter said. "I put together a group of eight guys to bowl in the Iowa State Tournament in March. I'm involved in a lot of things."
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Stronhurst, Illinois man will receive prestigious honor on Oct. 22
