By BILL SNIER
CANTON — Family memories, salutes to past mentors and a lot of laughs summed up Sunday’s enshrinement ceremonies for the Stark County USBC and Greater Canton Amateur Sports Hall of Fame’s third hall of fame class at the Doubletree by Hilton Downtown.
The event, which included nine new members joining the Stark bowling honor roll, also included enshrinement ceremonies for the Greater Stark County Fumbleball Association and Stark County Disc Golf halls of fame with nearly 225 in attendance.
The ceremonies, only the third following the merger between the former American Bowling Congress and Women’s International Bowling Congress, brought the total number of enshrinees to 225 on the men’s side, with its hall beginning as the Greater Canton Bowling Association in 1971, and 110 for the women, who began under the Canton Women’s Bowling Association in 1974.
The new bowling hall class included Chrissy Brady and Roger Webb in the performance category; Jean Tondola Smith in women’s meritorious service; Ron Lemmo, in the Golden Age category designed for bowlers of the past; and Joe Sinay Jr, Anne and David Boyd, and Beverlee and William Palmer in the recognition of contribution category.
Brady, leading off the bowling enshrinees, saluted her late brother after citing family members for their support. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” Brady said.
Tondola Smith, a longtime women’s bowling supporter and administrator, gave praise to her “family, friends and teammates who came to show their support.”
She also was very supportive of the USBC as a governing body of bowling.
“I have always supported the USBC and I will continue to support it as long as I am able,” Tondola Smith told the gathering.
Lemmo easily earned the most laughs of the event, citing his mentors in hall of famers John Klonowski, Red Simon and Gary Rebillot as well as taking good-natured shots at his friends in attendance.
Stark County High School Bowling Conference hall of famer Webb paid tribute to friends, former players and family as being responsible for his inclusion in the Stark USBC Hall for performance.
Sinay, who serves as general manager at Eastbury Bowling Center, said former Classic Bowl manager Sam Torella “was my biggest influence in bowling.”
“He taught me everything, things I still do today … how to run leagues, tournaments, sweepers … you name it,” said Sinay, who also served as assistant manager at Nancy O’s Bowl in Stark County and a couple of Summit County centers.
In accepting the honor for his late father David and with his mother Anne in attendance, Travis Boyd paid tribute to the hard work and sacrifices they made for what David referred to as “my bowlers.”
David Boyd, who died in November 2022 after a battle with prostrate cancer, and Anne “were the reasons generation after generation kept coming back to a small town eight-lane center,” Travis said.
Brad Palmer, in paying tribute to his parents, William and Beverlee, introduced all of the Minerva Bowl employees and friends who came to pay tribute to the center’s owner-operators for now 50 years.
“My dad have probably bowled five times in his life and my mom once — and it wasn’t a good experience — when they decided to buy the center,” said Brad, whose parents still live adjacent to the eight-lane center.
José Rante, Greater Canton Amateur Sports Hall of Fame president, said he has heard for a couple of years now why so-and-so is not in the hall.
“In order to be considered (by the bowling HOF committee) you have to fill out a nomination form,” Rante said, adding all three halls along with six others are housed inside the Greater Canton Amateur Sports Hall of Fame, which is listed on the National Registry of Historical Sites. It is located at 1414 Market Ave. N in Canton and open to the public.
Bill Snier, operator of http://www.snieronbowling.com, served as master of ceremonies and presented the bowling inductees for enshrinement. Kim Cooksey and Jeff Thornberry performed similar honors for fumbleball and disc golf, respectively.
Fumbleball inductees included Tom Tender, Richard Kleinhenz, Mitch Raebel and Jason Norch, whose late father is a past Stark County USBC Hall of Fame enshrined.
Chris Pellegrino was the lone disc golf enshrinee.