10
- MARCH 2015
Juanita Blocker
From page 7
trophies, medals, plaques, certificates, ribbons, and more. The first 720 series she
shot at Hollywood Legion Lanes, (since closed) held top honors with WIBC for some
time.
Following her pro tours, Juanita devoted herself to all other facets of the bowling
game. She was the resident Certified Instructor from 1971 to 1981 at Southwest
Bowl at Western and Imperial, (which has since closed). Many of her students were
from Southwest College across the street, several who were of foreign cultures and
had little athletic ability. Although there was a language barrier, Juanita made her
actions speak for her and helped pave the way for those youth to be able to enjoy
the game anywhere. Juanita was instrumental in convincing the Los Angeles Board
of Education to give grade credits to high school and college students who attended
her classes.
In 1961 Juanita joined the Los Angeles ―600‖ Bowling Club and was eventually
elected to their Board of Directors. In 1962 she was elected to the Board of Direc-
tors of the Los Angeles Women’s Bowling Association (LAWBA). Although Juanita
was a ―natural‖ in any sport she engaged in, she also possessed a wonderful talent
for writing about sports. She was handsomely rewarded in many areas. In 1963
she was given her own sports column which appeared weekly in the Los Angeles
Sentinel Newspaper for over 35 years. In all that time, she remained the devoted
publicist to her Los Angeles organizations and the TNBA. It was during this same
era that Los Angeles Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, (since deceased), presented Jua-
nita with a ―Writ of Commendation‖ for the poems and odes she composed about
the newly dedicated Olympic Style Swimming Stadium at Will Rogers Park. It was
this same year, while still managing Studio Bowling Academy that the Annual Press
Conference and the Los Angeles Sentinel voted Juanita as the ―Woman of the Year
in Sports‖. In 1987, when she retired from the Parks and Recreation, she received
―Special Recognition from Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and Councilman Gilbert
Lindsay, for all the dedication she had shown to bringing out the talents of the chil-
dren she had coached in sports and tutored in art projects. In 1988, she was the first
black member inducted into the LAWBA Hall of Fame and was made a Member
Emeritus. In 1999, Juanita was elected to the Southern California Bowling Writers
Hall of Fame. In 2004, she received the ―Distinguished Service Award‖ from the
United States Bowling Congress (USBC), California Association.
Bowling was still Juanita’s life as she entered the ―golden years‖. I can remember
that when she celebrated her 86
th
birthday in 2004, she was still bowling two
leagues a week, and with her 140 average, continued to be extremely competitive
and you could bet on her to win a side pot now and again.
Even though the past five or six years, Juanita was looked after in an Assisted
Living Facility, she never failed to keep up on all the news in the bowling arena.
She was dearly grateful to Carol Mancini, Editor/Publisher of the California Bowling
News for sending the weekly issue to her by USPS. And, when I called her, on an
average of every other day, she was watching one of the Williams girls in a Tennis
match. Or, if I couldn’t reach her, she later informed me she was in the Recreation
Room playing Dominos and more than often would add,‖ I won a couple of matches
today‖. And, more importantly, Juanita never ended our conversations without
sending her regards to my husband..... ―Give Phil a Hug For Me‖
Juanita left us peacefully in her sleep and on her terms…. working gallantly her
entire life to prove to all of us that she truly
was
a ―trailblazer‖ and that we could be
proud of the legend she left us with. She was put to rest beside her mother Lenore,
Tuesday, February 24
th
at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles.
Goodbye Dear, Dear
Friend..
