There’s a fine line separating Ben Roof’s business acumen from his community service. He’s been in business for 20 years as the owner of A-Frame Awards, but his community service actually spans more than 40 years. He’s been a significant behind-the-scenes contributor to the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame since its inception in 1979 and his contributions continue to expand.
He helped design the individual plaques which are displayed at the Genesys Health Club, the current home for the Hall of Fame.
He worked closely with Jim Massar, a longtime member of the Hall’s Board of Directors, to find a new home when the Hall of Fame outgrew the lobby of IMA Sports Arena. He also was a major help in designing the room where honored teams and other memorabilia are displayed.
When the Hall of Fame began its program to honor Athletes of the Year and Coaches of the Year last spring, Roof started a scholarship program for four athletes. For these and other contributions he receives the Special Service Award tonight. “I was flabbergasted when they told me about being selected,” he said. “You don’t expect recognition when you’re doing something you enjoy.” His wife, Bertha, two children and four grandchildren are helping him celebrate tonight.
“He’s more than deserving,” said Dick Daly, current President of the Hall of Fame’s board. “His generosity is amazing. He’s dependable and his overall service has been great. He has given back to many organizations, not just the Hall of Fame. He was mostly responsible for taking the plaques from the Sports Arena and fitting them into the health club. We asked for a bill for his services, then he sent back the check. That’s typical for him.”
The participation by the 68-year-old Roof goes beyond the Hall of Fame since he broke into bowling as a worker at the original Dort Bowl. He was an outstanding bowler, with a personal high average of 212, a perfect game in 1977 and an individual series of 747 in the early 1970s.
There were only two 300s bowled in Flint that year,” he said. “The Flint Journal came out to take my picture. Nowadays with all the new equipment and new techniques, it’s common to have several perfect games on the same night or the same weekend.”
He is a former member of the board of directors for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Flint and a former director for the Greater Flint Area March of Dimes. He is a former member of the Flint Bowling Association’s board of directors and was its president in 1994. He was inducted into the Flint Bowling Hall of Fame in 1988.
Roof was National Volunteer of the Year in 1998 for the Young American Bowling Alliance based in Greendale. He was a key figure in developing that group, which is the national governing body for bowlers 18-and-under. He was one of four national trainers for the YABA’s junior Olympic program which develops instructors for young bowlers.
Roof credits his Father, Bud Lillard and Sam Hamilton, all deceased, as the important mentors in his life. He also is a lay minister at Our Savior Lutheran, which he has attended for 60 years. Does he plan to slow down? “Not when I’m enjoying myself,” he said.
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