ARLINGTON, Texas – The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame (IBMHOF) is proud to announce the creation of a new award that will recognize extraordinary contributions to the Hall of Fame.

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame Striking Contribution Award will be presented for the first time this year at International Bowl Expo. The award is for recognition of an individual, institution or organization who recently has made an extraordinary contribution to the Hall of Fame.

“The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame continues to collect and preserve artifacts from the bowling industry’s great history,” said Mike Aulby, President and Chairman of the IBMHOF Board of Trustees. “With this in mind, our board of trustees has created the Striking Contribution Award, and we’re proud to announce John Tierney as its first recipient.”

Tierney, a retired long-time California bowling center proprietor, recently donated more than 400 items related to Helen Duval to the museum’s permanent collection. If not for Tierney’s efforts to secure this collection after Duval’s death, the items would have been lost to history.

“I’ve been fortunate to have been around bowling since the 50s and to have met Helen Duval in the late 70s,” said Tierney. “I wanted to preserve that history not only for Helen, but also for the hall of fame. I’m very appreciative to be the first recipient of this award, and I hope my actions will be motivation for other proprietors and people in bowling to do their part in preserving the great history of our sport.”

Tierney will receive his award at Bowl Expo during Aulby’s IBMHOF presentation. Award recipients are selected by a committee for the award as appointed by the IBMHOF. There is no limit to the number of people who can be nominated for the award, and the award is scheduled to be presented annually pending qualified candidates.

About the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame
The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, located at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, collects, preserves and exhibits the 5,000-year history of the worldwide sport of bowling, and features rare photos and vintage film clips to tell the stories of bowling's hall-of-fame members. Visit BowlingMuseum.com to learn more.

About International Bowling Campus
The International Bowling Campus (IBC) is the headquarters for the bowling industry and directly serves the more than 67 million bowlers in the United States. The IBC houses the resources of the United States Bowling Congress, the governing body and membership organization for the sport; the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, representing the business interests of bowling centers; IBC Youth Development; Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm for the industry; the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame; the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association; the International Bowling Media Association; the Bowling News Network; the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America; Bowlers Journal International and Bowling Center Management, the industry’s premier magazines; and the International Training and Research Center.