Fifty years later, Bernie Witcofsky still talks with enthusiasm about one of the biggest moments of his life — a day that he believes never received its due. On Dec. 9, 1975, the then-15-year-old Marian Catholic sophomore rolled a 279 at the former SkyLanes in Hometown during Anthracite Interscholastic League action. It was the highest score recorded by a sanctioned junior bowler in the area at that time.

One strike shy of a perfect game, Witcofsky received a special merit award from the American Junior Bowling Congress for his achievement. “I still remember every shot,” said Witcofsky, who bowled on Marian’s team. “We were on lanes five and six. My teammates were there cheering me on, and I worked to keep a clear head. It didn’t initially hit me what I had done, but then I realized it. It was a great day.”

But the Tamaqua native said the accomplishment never got the attention he thought it deserved. “I never really felt that it was recognized as it should have been,” he said. “I was one strike away from a 300 game, and no junior bowler, or maybe any bowler in the area, ever had a game like that. I never quite could understand it.

“I was proud of what I was able to do, but I never felt I got the right recognition for it. Bowling hasn’t really taken off yet back then like the other sports.” Witcofsky grew up in the sport and started at age 3.

His parents, John Sr. and Frannie, owned and operated four bowling lanes in the basement of a liquor store in Tamaqua before a 1955 flood forced them to move.

His father later bought into a partnership in the Bowl-A-Drome and managed SkyLanes.

“Everyone would say that I was at the bowling alley more than I was home,” Witcofsky recalled. “I was always bowling. My father was a good bowler, and he got me started. I love every minute of it, and people would tell me that I was a good bowler.

“I remember one time a manager insisted at SkyLanes that I keep bowling,” he added. “I kept bowling until my hands were bleeding. I told him they were, and he didn’t believe me at first. I had to show him. It was a long day, but I was having fun.” Witcofsky helped lead Marian to four state tournament appearances and collected several individual and team honors during his high school career. Yet he again felt overlooked at his final high school banquet.

“At the last high school banquet, I received two trophies and a plaque,” he said. “I remember walking to the bathroom, and coaches from two other schools came up to me and asked whether I received a college scholarship. I remember how that stunned me, too. When I think back, that was kind of crazy.”

After graduation, he joined the adult leagues — five of them at once — and was courted by several teams. “I thought I have a good shot at turning pro,” he said, noting that he maintained a nearly 200 average and hoped that he would one day enter the professional bowlers tour. He searched for sponsorship and had tentative deals lined up, but none materialized. Still, he kept bowling, piling up trophies and prize money in local tournaments. His parents and his brother, John Jr., have since passed, but bowling remains his lifeline.

The Tamaqua resident still bowls and can be found at Spare Time Lanes in Hometown despite his age and some aches.

“I’m getting up there in age,” he said. “I’m losing some of my strength and speed. I began to notice that a couple of years ago. But I worked myself into a good bowler, and I’ll keep going.” Even without the recognition he believes he was owed, Witcofsky still recounts that day in 1975 with the same energy he had when he was a 15-year-old — the day that helped shape a lifetime in the sport he loves.