A lifetime of volunteerism and a strong sense of family were the foundations of Tom Horton’s life. Born in Arvida, Quebec, Tom was originally introduced to both ten pin and duckpin bowling by his father, Charles, as both games were played in that area. Tom received his formal education as an engineer at the University of New Brunswick and, in Fredericton, Tom became a candlepin bowler and carried an average as high as 113. A move to Ontario in 1969 introduced Tom to 5 Pin bowling and he dedicated his volunteer efforts to our sport for almost thirty years.
A lifelong employee of IBM, Tom was transferred from St. John, New Brunswick, to the Head Office in Toronto and Tom, Betty and three girls, Linda, Nancy and Debbie, settled in Newmarket.
With Tom’s bowling background, he quickly enrolled the girls at the bowling centre which, at that time, was run by Bill Ingram. A fourth daughter, Sandi, was born in 1971 and, the next year, Bill introduced Tom to organized bowling, Ontario style.
Tom’s original involvement was through York Simcoe and he was both their Treasurer from 1977 to 1983 and again from 1985 to 1987 and also a coordinator of their tremendously successful North South Tournament. Of course, Tom’s computer background always led him to the statistical side of the sport, and he lent his considerable knowledge to all groups.
Before his untimely passing in 1996, Tom received a watch from the Youth Bowling Council for his work as a statistician and also for his efforts as both a Coach and Supervisor in the YBC programs in Newmarket. On the adult side, Tom was a member of the York Simcoe board for fifteen years and, in 1978, was recognized by the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association as Treasurer of the Year through their Incentive program. As well, he was President of the Superbowl decentralized Association from 1981 to 1983 and also handled the Treasurer position the following year.
Similarly, with the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association, Tom advanced to the Provincial level and served on the Ontario board for four years advancing to the position of Vice-President and also serving as Treasurer.
Undoubtedly, Tom made his greatest contribution to 5 Pin Bowling through the Master Bowlers Association. His membership began with the 1972-73 season in Newmarket and, by 1976, he joined the Board of Directors. Tom was an outstanding 5 Pin Bowler and his lifetime MBA average is 250 for more than 1000 games. In his career, Tom won two Provincial events and also was Bowler of the year in the Teaching division for the 1984-85 season and, bowling in the National Championships, carried a 269 average.
In 1980, Tom succeeded Bill Boettger, as President of the Master Bowlers Association and his leadership, both provincially and Nationally, would solidify the Associations at both levels. Provincially, he changed the Tournament process for the Association introducing computer technology for tournament results, aggregates, pool statistics and also average calculations for more than 800 members on a per tournament basis. Tom continued as President until 1994 and, not only received a Life Membership in 1991, but also received a Provincial Citation for volunteerism from the Provincial Government that same year.
While this volunteer effort took countless hours of Tom’s time, he never forgot that he was a family man first. He always had time for each of his daughters and proudly watched as they grew into adulthood. Sandi was also a success on the lanes, and has become one of Canada’s top female bowlers, winning several National Titles, as both a single and team bowler. Both Tom and his wife, Betty, were at every event serving in several capacities including spectators, parents and coaches.
Tom passed away on June 2nd, 1996 and while 5 Pin Bowling lost a tireless worker, the community lost a man that carried himself with class in every situation. In 1997, Tom was inducted as a Builder into the Ontario 5 Hall of Fame and tonight we too will add his name to the Builder’s Division of the York Simcoe Hall of Fame.