Bohannon, Ibarra, Arcuri, Louisville Metro USBC Also to Be Honored

ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Aulby is one of the most decorated players in professional bowling history, and a veteran bowling center proprietor in the Indianapolis area.

He also is a long-time volunteer supporter of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, and it is for his work with the museum that Aulby has been selected to receive the 2023 Victor Lerner Memorial Award, emblematic of his induction into the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America Hall of Fame.

This will be Aulby’s third national Hall of Fame honor. He was inducted into the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame in 1996 and the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 2001.

As Chairman of the IBMHF Board, Aulby leads a volunteer committee of industry leaders in raising funds to help preserve the museum’s multi-media collection, develop new exhibits and perpetuate the history of bowling. Annual fundraising efforts include the Xtravaganza tournament at the Red Rock resort in Las Vegas, a raffle held in conjunction with International Bowl Expo, and various levels (individual to corporate) of museum membership.

Aulby’s induction will take place just prior to the opening of the trade show at the 2023 International Bowl Expo in Orlando, Fla.

Also selected for industry service awards, to be presented during a special luncheon during Bowl Expo:

• Proprietor of the Year — Doug Bohannon. Much like Aulby, Bohannon, the owner of two bowling centers in New York, does not seek the spotlight; the spotlight finds him. He does not see other proprietors as competitors. Rather, he works hard to help bowling at every level, from local to national, by serving on committees, supporting charitable causes and bringing new people into the game.

• Ruben A. Dankoff Award — Alison Ibarra. This West Virginia proprietor joined in on calls with Sen. Shelley Capito advocating for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). This led to the senator visiting her center and highlighting Ibarra and the center on social media platforms and in ongoing communications. Ibarra’s volunteer work as a voice for BPAA served as an excellent example of how important advocacy work can be for bowling center owners.

• President’s Award — Amy Arcuri. Selected by Jim Decker prior to his resignation as president due to the sale of his center, Arcuri was recognized for her work with the Smart Buy program during the pandemic, helping proprietors get the products they needed even as supply-chain issues became critical. “Amy wasn’t just doing her job during the pandemic,” Decker said. “She went above and beyond to help our member centers at a time they really needed it.”

• BPAA USBC Association Award — Louisville Metro USBC. During the transition of its association manager and president, the association has expanded its awards program, conducted coaching clinics, brought in pro bowlers Tommy Jones and Shannon Pluhowsky to headline a highly successful free clinic for youth bowlers, helped promote high school bowling even though it’s not officially certified, and partnered in the development of a new youth scholarship series.

Look for special features on the honorees in upcoming issues of Bowling Center Management (BCM).