FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2013
CONTACT:
Gordon Vadakin
Phone (316) 978-7655
Fax (316) 978-6056
email - shocker.bowling@wichita.edu
www.wichita.edu/bowling
Shocker Bowling Hosts First Annual Gary Armstrong Memorial Tournament
WICHITA, Kan. – This upcoming Sunday, Nov. 10, marks the first annual Gary Armstrong
Memorial Fundraiser at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan. hosted by Wichita State Shocker
Bowling.
Competition starts at 1 p.m., and entrants bowl 3 games. Each game takes the 3-6-9
format where every 3rd, 6th and 9th frame grants an automatic strike.
With support from the Wichita community, plenty of door prizes are available. Prizes
include a $3,100 trip to Stonebridge Resort in Branson, Mo., a $1,200 trip to Las
Vegas, $2,000 in cash or smaller prizes, and $900 in donated give away items for bowlers.
Winners of any prize must be present to win.
Last year, Armstrong unexpectedly passed away. The goal of the event is to uphold
the scholarship contribution he gracefully donated every year.
Armstrong was a longtime supporter of the Shocker Bowling program. Not only was he
a supporter of Shocker Bowling, but a supporter of the sport of bowling. He could
often be found in bowling centers, as he participated in three leagues a week.
“Everyone fortunate enough to be acquainted with Gary Armstrong, no matter how short
or long, knew what he was all about,” Shocker bowling alumni Kevin Tatrow said. “Gary
was a man as selfless as they come, who truly cared about others more than himself.”
He also served as a board member on the local bowling association’s board of directors
and was a USBC (United States Bowling Congress) Great Plains Hall of Fame member.
In addition to serving Wichita’s bowling community and donating a scholarship every
year, he housed two Shocker Bowlers during their college education.
Armstrong’s impact on the lives of many Shocker bowlers will never be forgotten or
unappreciated. The Shocker bowling community has been honored and privileged to have
experienced the generosity and kindness of such an amazing person.
“Without writing a short story, the best way to describe Gary is that he was the
most selfless individual I have ever met,” Shocker bowling alumni Kenny Benoit said.
“The degree to which he was so selfless and kind-hearted is nearly impossible to put
into words.”
Armstrong was loved by many in the Wichita bowling community and throughout the Shocker
bowling family. Although he is no longer with us, his generosity, kind heart, and
legacy will run through Wichita for many years to come.
For more information about the event, visit our Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShockerBowling.
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The Rhatigan Student Center has been the major financial and administrative supporter
of the Wichita State University bowling program since 1959.