105-YEAR-OLD BOWLER LEAVES HIS MARK

At 105, Hargrove is the oldest bowler certified by the United States Bowling Congress.

His eyesight has deteriorated dramatically during the past year and he can no longer see the pins. But after more than 80 years of bowling - he started in 1924 - Hargrove has a mental picture of the pin configuration. He knows where to throw his red and blue marbled 10-pound ball when told which pins remain.

Hargrove bowls two mornings a week in two senior leagues, one of which is named after him. He has a 106 average.

Though he is competitive, his friends said, he never fails to support a teammate or opponent, offering his trademark encouragement, "Best I ever saw."

Bowling isn't the only thing that gets Hargrove out of the house. Almost every Sunday, he makes the nearly 1 1/2-hour trip to Atlanta, where he lived for nearly 70 years, to attend Grace United Methodist Church. Until he was about 100, he made the drive on his own, but now gets a ride from his daughter or a friend. He is the church's oldest active member and is in charge of the ushers and greeters.

"Our present minister isn't going to see it any other way," Hargrove said. "I've had that job all these years, and he isn't going to relieve me of it, not while he's still there anyway."

The church held a party for Hargrove's 105th birthday, and he sang for the congregation. A few weeks later the congregation presented him with an album of photos from the event. He recently brought it to the bowling alley.

"That album is the story of my life at the church that day, and I'm real proud of it," he said.

photo & story courtesy foxsports.com, 7/16/06