About Inductee

Virgil Dunn was born in Rock Fall, Illinois, and began bowling at age 19 on two lanes in the basement of the YMCA. A few years later the city of Rock Fall installed an 8-lane alley and Dunn bowled in weekend leagues for about 15 years. Virgil then moved to Wisconsin where he began to take bowling seriously; he maintained about a 195 average during a time of four-pound wooden pins and hand oiled lanes that were different every day. He became such a fixture he was asked to manage the local lanes, which he did for about five years. Upon moving to Huntsville in 1967, Dunn began bowling in several different leagues, on as many as 6 or 7 different teams. After being a regular at Parkway Lanes for over a decade his friend, the late Pie Bates, asked Virgil to help out a little around the place. So he began to work a couple of nights a week and when Manager Harold Cramer died, Bates asked him to become a manager. Dunn held that position working 4 P.M to midnight from 1979 to 1993, until his wife of 60 years became ill. He ran a tight ship and his friend Pie always trusted his judgment on matters of bowling. Dunn said he never had a bad day at the lanes, although on at least one occasion, he had to take a pistol from a bowler and convince him to leave. Even at age 93, when he was in the hospital for more than a week, he went back to the lanes in about three weeks, though with a lighter ball. Perhaps as amazing as his longevity in bowling is his commitment to his community. While managing Parkway Lanes, he also marshaled at the Municipal Golf Course, where he was a scratch golfer and played into his late 80s, made clubs for anyone who needed them, and helped anyone who wanted help with his/her bowling game. In addition to caring for his wife during her battle with cancer, Mr. Dunn also taught Sunday School and played piano for a local nursing home, both of which he did until 2007. He was featured in The Huntsville Times for bowling a 707 series at 91 years of age. Now at age 97, Virgil has bowled continuously for over 78 years, and with limited vision in only one eye he is still a regular in three leagues a week.