A native of Toronto, Bob Falconer has been a salesman since the age of nineteen and, today, from his home base in Calgary, Bob continues to help amateur sport and several charities as a telemarketer.

Bob was named after his father and also followed him into the steel business. In addition, the senior Bob Falconer worked with Bill Procher, the husband of Hall of Famer Theda Procher and these connections brought the young Bob Falconer to both the bowling and the steel business.

Bob and his father bowled as a recreation during the war years and, by Grade 9, Bob was skipping class to bowl sweeps at the local centre, Tam’s, at Oakwood and Vaughan Roads. Moreover, through his father as well, Bob started in the steel business with Dominion Bridge in 1950 and was a salesman for several companies until 1967.

Bob’s bowling involvement also started at this time as Theda Procher introduced Bob to the instruction side of the sport. Along with such notables as Mabel McDowell, Joe D’Orazio and Theda, he offered instruction tips to the youth bowlers at Dufferin Lanes.

During this time, Bob also caught the eye of Walter Mulholland, who captained the Mason Trophy team in the Toronto City Major League. After seeing Bob bowl on a Friday night, Walter asked Bob to join his major league team the next day. Bob bowled in the league for three years, met Hall of Famers Bert Garside, Bill Hoult and another honoree tonight, Jake Hellewell, three individuals who would shape Bob’s future career.

In the major league, Bob immediately showed his leadership skills and was elected president in his third year. However, in 1964, Bob, who was now with Newman Steel, transferred to Grimsby with his wife Anne and their son, Robbie.

At this time, five pin bowling was gaining strength as an organization under the Ontario Bowlers’ Congress banner and Bob was the natural choice to follow another Hall of Famer, Charles "Red" McQuaker as the second President. Bob was elected at a meeting at Aprile Lanes in 1964 and, during his two-year presidency, the foundation was laid for both the zone and office structure of the provincial association. Moreover, in the steel business, Bob’s territory extended through Toronto which allowed Bob to meet on several occasions with both Bert Garside and Red McQuaker, to not only build the foundation of the Ontario Bowlers’ Congress but, with Red, to also visit individual leagues to encourage them to join the new organization.

As President, Bob was also an integral part of the discussions to eliminate the counter pin from five pin bowing. In 1964, he led a delegation of Bert Garside, Earl Jones, Doris Luke and Doug Miller to Calgary, to persuade the western bowlers to agree with the east and eliminate the dreaded left corner. While the initial reaction was positive, national agreement was not reached until 1972. In fact, the dispute was so severe that the national championships were cancelled for three years. In recognition of Bob’s contribution to the growth of the OBC, he was awarded a life membership in 1976, only the tenth awarded to that time.

Also, in 1964, Bob moved to Niagara, and he took the opportunity to expand the Ontario Bowlers’ Congress into that area. With the help of Hall of Famers Dot Britton, John Scholes and other notables such as John Osborne, the Niagara Zone was begun and this zone has become one of the finest in our history.

In 1967, Bob received an offer from Jake Hellewell and Bill Hoult to join Hoult-Hellewell Trophies to become their first salesman. In this role, Bob toured Ontario’s bowling centres and, not only sold trophies but, with the contacts gained through his volunteer involvement, continued to push for increased membership in the Ontario Bowlers Congress.

Unfortunately, Bob suffered a heart attack in 1969 which curtailed his activities until 1975. However, the lure of the bowling business was always there and Jack Fine of Bowlerama Ltd. brought Bob back to the industry at Bowlerama Newtonbrook. The midnight to dawn shift became Bob’s specialty and he became a supervisor throughout the chain for this timeslot and, ultimately, built its popularity to become an important part of the revenue stream. Bob continued with Bowlerama for several years and not only managed Plantation Bowlerama but also introduced the program of company parties and fundraisers to both the chain and the industry that continue today.

During his time in Ontario, Bob was also an outstanding golfer and, on consecutive days, scored a hole-in-one on the third hole at Glen Cedars. On the first day, Bob used a six iron and, on the next day, used a five iron. In memory of his feat, the hole has been renamed as "Falconer’s Alley".

Now living in Calgary, Bob has continued with his fundraising talents and raises money for old-timers hockey, baseball and several charities through his telemarketing skills.