Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-02
JACOB FRECH HAS
!. BOWLED Il YEARS
Still in Uncle Sans Employ,
+, Although Well Past Age
for Retirement.
BY r.. ID. THOMAS.

|HE proverbial three-Score and ten
may be a generous allotment OF
years on this mans earth, but
Il Jacob Frech. former chief clerk
of the adjutant generals office,
numbers one more than that in his
bowling career alone.
Americas oldest pin shooter is the
distinction claimed for Frech whose
durable frame was only trif1e still
today from the exertion of % games
rolled at the Y. M. G. A. to celebrate
his eighty-second birthday.
On May /, two years ago, Frech
bowled 20 strings and still was strong
enough to go on. He rolled Il games
on his birthday last year This time
he added another and it is his hope to
increase the workout by one more string
next May /.
Game Has Changed.
Frech was a bowler before the Civil
War. about so years before the now
popular duckpin was invented. In that
far-fiung era of bowling in this country
only the tenpin was known and the
game was played under different rules
than now Frech recalled that the ball
was considerably smaller than the sphere
of today and had no finger holes. Also
that dead wood was left on the alley.
This made it more of scientific
game than it is now, believe" he said
discussing the dead wood, because 1t
permitted a wider variety OF shots"
The veteran was II years old when he
rolled his first game. This was at
bowling academy in the town OF Will
liamsburg, N. Y, which is now
Brooklyn.
lust about that time young Jacob,
who was brought by his parents to
this country from Germany when =
years old, landed a job that was 10
lead him to distinction as a longtime
servant of Uncle Sam. He has rounded
out Sc years in the Navy and War De-
partments and could have been retired
II wears ago. Four times the Secre-
tarv of War has approved an extern
sion of service beyond the retirement
age for a man who has reveled all his
life in toll and hopes to finish up IN
harness.
Works for Hamilton.
When Frech was IL he attracted the
attention of Philip Hamilton, the
Youngest son of Alexander Hamilton,
first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamn-
ton needed a bright youngster IN his
law Office. and the hustling little immi-
grant was given the Joo: Inree yeaIs
later, in 1861, when Hamilton was MADE
Judge advocate of the Navy, he brought
the youngster with him. At the close
of the Civil War Frech was transfer
red to the War Department. For a
time during the war he served as a
hospital steward, but worked himself
I'D to the chief clerkship of the ad-
iutant generals Office, q position he
relinguished voluntarily not many years
ago.
He has been personally acquainted
with all the naval and military leaders
for several generations.
Bowling has kept him hearty, he
says, and he plays the game as much
for the exercise as the sport. Many OF
his scores are better than 100 and a
few years ago he had one of ITO. That
was the real whopper of his 90 years
experience with the little ball and pin
game. It was rolled in championship
competition on the Ingram Memorial
Church alleys on which Glenn VOL
stenholme and other great stars made
their first bids for fame.
Star in Three Leagues.
The same season Frech three times
turned a spectacular feat that was be-
yond his accomplishments before and
has been since. He was a member OF
three teams and with each he made a
tripleheader strike, a mark SO rare that
the Washington City Duckpin Associa-
ton presents five-spot to every bowler
making one in its current tournament.
Of the hundreds to compete only three
have collected the special prize.
In his performance yesterday the old
timer was paced by a nephew. Greer
Ellis, and the latter's friend, Charles
Critchfield. At the finish he appeared
to be quite as fresh as the two
youngsters
He started encouragingly with a game
of 102 and held this pace through a
large part Of the afternoon. When ne
scored only rs in his eleventh game
some thought he was weakening. But
not SO. He made rapid comeback and
his last IL games included che of 12l
and one of 100.
His general average was IS. His scores
follow 102 81 SO. los. 81, 86, %, 60
SO, 90. rs. 95. 81. 1913, 12l, SO, 100, 49,
los, 104, "a and 90.