Robert Kennedy

Meritorious Service

Robert Kennedy
City: Detroit
State: MI
Inducted: 1981

Kennedy was the driving force in the development of the automatic pinsetter which freed bowling from the bondage of the pinboy and lifted the sport to its present eminence. As vice president of the Brunswick Corp. in the 1930s, Kennedy saw the need for modernization of the bowling game and made recommendations embodied in a report which led to the introduction of Brunswicks 20th Century line of bowling equipment. Lanes were streamlined, colorful semi-circle leatherette seats were created, and the introduction of the forerunner to the masking unit to hide the pinboy from view were just a few improvements he instituted that led to the revitalization of the sport.