EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article on Dunkirk resident Sandy Cosenza appeared in the OBSERVER in the fall of 1965.

By KEITH S. SHELDON

sports@post-journal.com

Ever since he won $2,000 May 22 in a bowling tournament in Detroit, Sandy Cosenza, 412 Leopard St., Dunkirk, has had nothing but trouble.

Sound strange? Consider the following:

¯ May 27, just five days after the tourney, the Dunkirk bowler suffered a heart attack. He spent six weeks in Brooks Hospital and will not be able to return to work until Nov. 1 The emotional stress of winning what probably was the largest single prize ever captured by a Dunkirk or Fredonia bowler is believed to have been a contributing factor to his illness.

¯ The check “bounced” twice. Only after going to a lawyer, appealing to the American Bowling Congress and numerous telephone calls between here and Detroit did he finally receive his money Sept 3, more than three months after the tourney ended.

The annual Royal “185” individual classic tournament in Detroit is open to all men and women bowlers with a 185 average and under. It has been popular for years among a number of bowlers from this area.

Cosenza, 46, a surface grinder at the True Temper Corporation, has participated in the tourney the past three years. He took a 183 average with him this year.

He rolled better than 21 pins over his average, hitting games of 214, 187, 222, 177, 173 and 253 for a sizzling grand total of 1,226. His red-hot last game included opening with seven straight strikes.

The 1,226 total was good for third place overall in the scratch tourney among 3,448 bowlers. Sandy was just nine pins away from the second prize money of $4,000 and 23 pins away from the first prize money of $8,000.

A bowler for 20 years and manager of the Columbus Club Lanes, this was the high point of his career. Sharing in his excitement were his wife, Marian, and two daughters, Kathleen and Linda.

Then the trouble began.

First, the heart attack, and then the problems getting the money. Cosenza outlined the strain as follows:

¯ July 1: Received the check for $2,000.

¯ July 5: Deposited the check into the Chautauqua National Bank.

¯ July 16: Notified that the check bounced. Called Detroit, and asked that a certified check be sent to the bank. They said they would take care of it.

¯ July 22: Received word from the bank that the check hadn’t arrived. Called Detroit.

¯ July 23: Called Detroit again as requested by Paul N. Mobley. He said he went to the bank and took care of the check.

¯ Aug. 9: Chautauqua National Bank reported that the check bounced again. Called Detroit twice. Then called Earl Town, president of the Dunkirk Bowling Association, and told him what was happening with my check. Town contacted the ABC.

¯ Aug. 23: Called Detroit, asking them to send a certified check.

¯ Aug. 31: Still hadn’t received the check as promised. Called Detroit twice, the second time to the Michigan bank. Was told that there wasn’t enough money in the account to cover the check. Received word from Town that the ABC was looking into the matter. So was my lawyer. I had heard that the other top prize winners had no trouble in cashing their checks.

¯ Sept. 3: Check arrived, and this one didn’t come back marked “insufficient funds.”

Tournament officials claim that the trouble was attributed to a $3,000 deposit supposedly made on the account and that is missing.

“Would you ever go back to that tourney,” this reporter asked Sandy.

“I might,” he replied.

However, most of his bowling will be curbed this year because of his illness.