Proprietor, Coach, Founder, Executive, Wife and Mother. These are just a few of Lauretta Wright’s credentials.
Lauretta Mae Woolley was born in Toronto on May 17, 1947. However, she grew up in Thornhill, in her grandmothers house, along with her parents, Alan and Ella, and her sisters, Diane, Dorothea and brother Alan.
Her bowling career began in 1963 at Allencourt Lanes when she joined the Monday Night Mixed League, along with her future husband, Len. It was during this time that she met Jack and Betty Hill, Jim Hoult, Al Richardson and several others that would have a definite impact on her future. Shortly after the York Simcoe 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association was formed, Lauretta started helping out. At first, she was assisting Jack Hill at tournaments, then she became a League Secretary and finally became Secretary of the Association. As a League Secretary, Lauretta won the Executive of the Year award for York Simcoe in 1982. As the Association Secretary, Lauretta won back to back honours, in 1991 and 1992, as Secretary of the Year from the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association, at the annual convention. During all this, Lauretta also found time to work with the Youth Bowlers at Newmarket Bowling Centre and Bradford Plaza Bowl. She was in charge of registrations and organizing the tournaments for Don Dirocco, owner of Bradford Plaza Bowl.
Len and Lauretta were married in 1965, in Thornhill, and had two boys, Jeff and Chris. When they moved to Island Grove in 1985, they bought the bowling centre, Island Grove Bowl. This started a new phase in her bowling career, as a Proprietor. During her stay at Island Grove, Lauretta was elected as Zone President for the Bowling Proprietors Association and she was responsible for arranging regular meetings with Proprietors throughout the zone. At Island Grove, Lauretta started a very successful Youth Bowling league and was the founding President of the Island Grove Decentralized Association. Besides being President, Lauretta took on various other positions, including Tournament Director. In 1988, she was honoured, once again, as Tournament Director of the year, for a DC house. All this, while maintaining the position of Secretary for the Zone. Len, Jeff and Chris were very supportive and instrumental in helping to make a success of the bowling centre during the five years that they owned it. In fact, she was presented with an Award of Merit, from the BPAO, in grateful recognition of outstanding service to the bowling industry.
After selling Island Grove Bowl, Lauretta, turned her attention to the Provincial board, where she was a member for three years. She served on both the Planning and the Membership committee, as well as being Secretary for one year. While she was chair of the Membership committee, Lauretta became instrumental in putting together the information that is used now as the Membership “How to” booklet.
As a Level Two Coach, Lauretta was motivated by another of our honourees tonight, Vic Tugwell. She coached at the Ontario Open on six different occasions and coached a Provincial Championship Mixed team, in 1995, that went to the Nationals in Hull, Quebec.
Lauretta was presented with Life Membership in the York Simcoe Association in 1998.
Today, Lauretta is employed by Apple Canada as an Executive Relations Specialist and while she has curtailed her bowling involvement, she still sits on our Hall of Fame committee.
After thirty-six years together, Len and Lauretta are truly blessed with a very successful marriage. The Wright family now includes two daughters Tanya and Jeannine, and four grandchildren, Amanda (11), Aaron (8), Alexander (6) and Eric (2).
Lauretta’s leadership and administrative skills have made her a valued member of our association. We are fortunate that she decided, many years ago, to become a “Builder” of York Simcoe, and we gather tonight to salute her loyalty, dedication and enthusiasm.