Tom Craig had dedicated his life to volunteerism. With full time employment with the Scarborough Fire Department, Tom gave his spare time not only to bowling, but also to the boy scouts and his home and school association.

In bowling, Tom’s initial efforts were split between both the adult and the youth programs. In the adult program, Tom began bowling at the old Ace Bowl on the Danforth in 1947 and by 1948, he had his first secretarial job in the Shirriffs Bowling League. He continued this role in the Firefighters League and in his career, Tom and his wife Joan were secretaries of several leagues.

With the organization of the Ontario Bowlers Congress, Tom was a natural for the difficult job of lane certification. With the entire province as his territory, Tom certified every lane from Windsor to Timmins. In 1965, he added to his workload with the presidency of the Scarborough 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association. This tenure culminated with the hosting of the 1972 Provincial Open championships at O’Connor Bowl.

Despite this activity, Tom was also heavily involved with his first love, the youth bowling council. With nine children as potential bowlers, Tom was easily involved, beginning at the Golden Mile Lanes and then moving to Aprile Lanes. For 24 years, from 1964-1988 Tom was a YBC zone representative, first looking after four zones, Toronto, York, Durham and Scarborough, and eventually guiding the Scarborough YBC to its leadership role.

His accomplishments included the YBC senior mixed team events, begun as a centennial project in 1967, the formation of the Scarborough YBC association, the Saturday All-Star formats, and the presentation of the first banners that today hang in many bowling centres.

In the Fire Department, Tom was promoted to Captain in 1960, followed by an appointment to Deputy Fire Chief in 1983. With his wife Joan, who passed away in 1983, they raised nine children, five of whom are married, and there are seven grandchildren, a number that no doubt continues to rise. In beginning his retirement, Tom can look with pride at his accomplishments and know that what he started will last forever.