Henry Fankhauser has been associated with bowling since he was a teenager participating in leagues and tournaments. He joined the staff of the Washington Daily News in 1948 after graduating from high school in Washington, D.C. He became the bowling editor in 1954 after serving other positions on the newspaper. He advanced to assistant sports editor before the paper ceased operations in 1972.Back to Hall of FameHenry served as associate editor of the National Bowling Review, a biweekly printed in Washington, D.C., that won three consecutive national awards for content and layout.
In 1965, Henry was color commentator on D.C.'s first televised tenpin show on WOOK-TV. That year, he also served on a local committee with tenpin executives to draw up the format for the local men's annual rankings.
Three years later, he authored The Wacky World of Sports, which included a long chapter on bowling.
Henry originated "Bowlers Night" at Laurel Harness Track and at RFK Stadium, when bowlers presenting their local association membership card could get in for a reduced price.
He was bowling writer for the Sentinel papers from 1971-1975, and in 1974 became a columnist for Down the Lanes. In 1978, he wrote the chapter on the history of local bowling for the book entitled Sports in the Nation's Capital.
Henry was a weekly bowling columnist for the Washington Star from 1978-1981. Since then, Henry has written bowling columns for the Prince George's Journal and Montgomery County Journal papers.
He has been a member of the Bowling Writers Association of America since the early 1950s and is a charter member of the Southern Bowling Writers Association. Henry has written many articles for national sports publications and has won several national awards in Bowling Magazine's annual writing contest.
Bringing bowling to the attention of everyone has been the lifetime goal of Henry Fankhauser. He is a worthy addition to the Nation's Capital Area Bowling Association Hall of Fame.