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JOHN MARTIN of Toronto opened O’Connor Bowl in the city’s east end in 1951, and through the years, it provided the base from which he contributed a great deal to the advancement of the sport. He was instrumental in launching the industry’s annual Lane Certification program, in the elimination of the old “counter pin” and the introduction of today’s scoring system. John pioneered televised 5 Pin bowling, and O’Connor Bowl was the setting for more than nine years during the television industry’s infancy of our sport’s first nationally-televised weekly show and competition. The O’Connor Open, launched in 1957, was one of the game’s most popular annual open events, and the lanes also played host to attractions like the National Invitational Singles and the Rotary 50 Marathon. John, too, was a founder n 1954 of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of Ontario, and has also served both it and the Canadian Association as President.
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