Walking into La Habra Bowl, a bouquet of orange roses and yellow button pom poms positioned at the base of a poster-sized image of legendary bowler Glenn Allison immediately draws attention.
Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, the family owned bowling alley was Allison’s second home for all those years.
Taken more than 40 years ago, the rectangular image of Allison lying on a lane in front of a triangle of racked pins pays homage to a bowling accomplishment once thought impossible – a 900 series or 36 consecutive strikes.
Allison is the first recorded person to accomplish the feat — on July 1, 1982, bowling in La Habra Bowl’s sanctioned Anchor Girl Trio League.
Today, however, the photo and flower arrangement serve as a memorial in the wake of Allison’s death on Oct. 7. He was 95
Allison had been battling health problems for some time and was in and out of hospice over the past several months, his daughter, Suzzane Allison said.
His 900 series, akin to a perfect game in baseball, earned Allison the moniker, “Mr. 900,” but his achievements on the lanes over roughly 70 years placed the right-handed bowler within the ranks of the sport’s greatest competitors.
He was inducted into the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1979 in the Super Performance category.
Allison competed in the USBC Open Championship a record 72 times, winning the Classic Doubles title in 1962, Classic Team titles in 1964 and 1966 and a Classic Singles title in 1970, according to the United States Bowling Congress.
As a Professional Bowlers Association competitor, Allison rolled five 300 games and his mark of 123,341 career pins at the Open Championships is third all-time, according to the sport association.
In a July interview for La Habra Bowl’s 65th anniversary, Scott Kraye, owner of the pro shop, a former PBA bowler and good friend of Allison, compared Allison to Lou Gehrig, the Major League Baseball Hall of Famer who played in 2,130 consecutive games.
Allison bowled at La Habra Bowl for the first time in 1960 and rolled his first-ever 300 at a tournament there in 1964.
On that magical evening in 1982 when he rolled the perfect 900, Allison had just finished bowling in his first league of the night before proceeding to lanes 13 and 14 to bowl in the Anchor Girl Trio League.
After rolling the first 300 game, Allison was about halfway through his second when La Habra Bowl began buzzing as word of the streak spread quickly through the lanes.
Phone calls were made and spectators just started showing up, hoping to witness history, Kraye said.
By the time Allison was just a few frames away from the third 300 game, there was dead silence and all eyes were on the bowler, Kraye said.
“Then he makes the 36th and the place goes crazy,” Kraye said. “We were just looking at each other and saying, ‘What just happened?’”
While the then-American Bowling Congress refused to sanction Allison’s accomplishment because the lane conditions did not comply with rules in place at the time, many in the bowling world have recognized his 900 series as being legitimate. The United States Bowling Congress revisited the question in 2014, but upheld the earlier decision.
But in 2019, the United States Congress recognized Allison as the original “Mr. 900″ with a certificate of recognition organized by Rep. Lou Correa’s office.
Allison bowled in high-level tournaments in nearly every U.S. state, and in South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
But La Habra Bowl was always home.
“Everybody knew who Glenn was,” said Rick Moffit, Allison’s friend and a daily bowler at La Habra Bowl.
“Not just because of the 900 but because of his personality,” Moffit said at the 65th anniversary. “He would help anybody. When he was working the counter, people could ask him questions and he would answer.”
Allison also served his country from 1951 to 1953 in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, his daughter said. A memorial service will take place at Riverside National Cemetery, where Allison’s ashes will be interred.
“He didn’t talk about it,” Suzanne Allison said. “He didn’t think he (deserved recognition) because he didn’t serve in combat. He was very humble.”
Allison’s daughter, incidentally, also bowls at La Habra Bowl.
When word spread of Allison’s death, prominent bowling websites and social media pages began posting articles, condolences and tributes.
Dozens of memories and expressions of sympathy were shared on the La Habra Bowl Facebook page, including one that said, “THEE CLASS ACT OF BOWLING! Without a doubt. Just sitting down and talking bowling with Glenn was a privilege and honor … Rest in peace…the one and only ‘Mr.900.’”
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