Clearwater Lawn Bowling Club is proud of the fact that it has seven of its members in the USLBA Hall of Fame; more than any other club in the USA.
Bill Farrell is the only one still living and he enjoys social bowling regularly, in addition to being a formidable opponent in tournaments.
Our Hall of Famers are listed in alphabetical order below.
VIVIAN CLARK ESCH Clearwater (FL), Orlando (FL) Elected 2002
Vivian Clark Esch was born in Lewiston, Maine and was introduced to lawn bowling in Clearwater in the 1940s when her family began wintering in Florida. As a Clearwater bowler she won the club Women's Singles championships seven times.
Vivian was instrumental in bringing the Southeast Division into the American Women's Lawn Bowls Association in 1971, and she served as Southeast Division secretary from 1970 to 1977. Vivian was president of the AWLBA in 1976 after serving as Southeast Division councilor for a number of years.
After her marriage to championship bowler, Harold Esch, she made her home in Orlando, where she won many club and North Central Florida League championships. She died in 1981.
BILL FARRELL Essex County (NJ), Clearwater (FL) Elected 2002
Bill Farrell is likely the only American bowler to serve as president of the national organization and two different divisions. From 1977 to 1980 he was president of the American Lawn Bowls Association. He was also president of the Eastern Division during the 1970s and Southeast Division in the 1990s. Bill was an Eastern Division national Councilor from 1974 to 1981, and a Southeast national Councilor 1983-1989. He was also president of his bowling clubs in Essex County, New Jersey and Clearwater, Florida. A two-time winner of the U.S. Championships Pairs, in 1989 and 1991 (w/Bert MacWilliams), Bill represented either the Eastern or Southeast Divisions in the Championships fifteen times since 1975--eleven times in Pairs (all with MacWilliams) and four in Singles. During one period, he appeared in the U.S. Championships nine consecutive years, a record that is unlikely to be broken. He won the National Open Triples in 1978 & 1982. Bill has been named to the U.S. National Team three times, and about ten years was a member of the USLBA National Team Selectors Committee. Born in Scotland and has been a bowler since the age of fourteen. In 1977, in Edison, NJ, Bill organized the first sanctioned indoor bowling club in the United States.
ARTHUR HARTLEY Chicago (IL),
Clearwater (FL), Los Angeles (CA)
Elected 1998
Art Hartley won National Open Singles titles five times over a period of 25 years: in 1940, 1941, 1946, 1960 and 1965. He appeared in the U.S. Championships nine times, winning the Pairs crown in 1965 (w/E. Hayden), and Singles runner-up four times. Arthur was a member of the United States national team that competed in the 1966 (first) World Bowls Championships in Australia, and finished fourth in Singles. He captured National Open "Marl" Singles championships six times: 1947, 1951, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1962; and won the Southeast Singles seven times, Pairs three times, between 1947 and 1962. Art Hartley developed a 'concept' lawn bowl manufactured by Brunswick-Balke-Collender in Chicago, and the Marl synthetic lawn bowling surface, once used by numerous Florida bowling clubs and still in place at a few LBCs. His clubs of record include the Chicago, Clearwater and old Los Angeles bowling complex.
BERT MacWILLIAMS East Cleveland (OH), Clearwater (FL) Elected 1998
Bert MacWilliams played major roles in American lawn bowling on and off the green. Only one other player in American lawn bowls history qualified for as many U.S. Championship finals as Bert MacWilliams. He and Willis Tewksbury represented their divisions 20 times in the Championships. Bert won the U.S. Singles in 1976, 1979 and 1983, and the Pairs in 1989 and 1991, partnering with Bill Farrell in both victories. He represented the Central Division four times in Pairs and six times in Singles; and the Southeast Division once in Singles and nine times in Pairs. Bert was a member of the USA World Bowls Teams of 1980, 1984 and 1988. Taking his seat on the Council in 1974, Bert served on the ALBA Council for ten years. He was ALBA president 1980-1982. He was Central Division president for two terms. Cleveland-born, Bert took up bowls in 1964 at the East Cleveland, Ohio LBC, later moving to Florida and the Clearwater club.
EMILY EDITH "Ede" MacWILLIAMS
East Cleveland (OH), Clearwater (FL)
Elected 2004
Ede MacWilliams was well known throughout the United States as one of the very top bowlers in this country. She was seeded at one time as the top women's pairs champions with partner Dora Stewart. Ede participated in the United States Championships on six occasions, winning it once in pairs. She was also a former member of Team USA and played in World Bowls competition. She championed so many Central Division and Southeast Division events they could not be mentioned here.
In service of the sport, Ede MacWilliams served is a wide variety of capacities:
Umpire-In-Chief at Southeast Division mini-camps
Umpire-In-Chief at the inaugural Atlantic Rim Games,
Umpire-In-Chief at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia
President of the East Cleveland LBC
President of the Central Division
President of the Southeast Division
Secretary of the Clearwater LBC
Club Delegate to the Southeast Division
Central Division Councilor to the AWLBA
WILLIAM MILLER Gary (IN),
Clearwater (FL) Elected 1998
Bill Miller, with American teammates Dick Folkins and Clive Forrester, won a gold medal in Triples at the 1972 World Bowls Championships in Worthing, England. His 17 appearances rank fourth all-time in the number of U.S. Championship finals played. Representing either the Central or Southeast Division between 1958 and 1990, Bill qualified for six Singles events and eleven Pairs. He won the U.S. Pairs in 1971 (w/R. McGaffney). Bill won the National Open Triples in 1979, and Pairs in 1982. He was president of ALBA from 1972-1974, and served as a Central Division Councilor from 1964-74 and Southeast Division Councilor 1975-79. He was also president of the Central Division. Born in Scotland, Bill emigrated to the U.S. in 1928. He joined the Gary, Indiana LBC in 1937. Clearwater (FL) has been his home club since the mid-1970s.
WILLIS TEWKSBURY Orlando & Clearwater (FL)
Elected 1998
Bill Tewksbury was the most dominant U.S. Championships Singles player from 1957 to 1969. During that period, he won U.S. Singles titles six times: 1958, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1967 and 1969. He won the U.S. Championship Pairs in 1970, and was ALBA "Bowler of the Year" that same season. Bill's 20 U.S. Championships appearances (tied with Bert MacWilliams) are the most in the history of the event. His seven U.S. Championship gold medals rank third all-time (tie w/James Candelet). He won the National Open Pairs crown in 1976. Bill and USA teammate Jim Candelet captured a silver medal in the Pairs event at the 1972 World Bowls in Worthing, England. He was a longtime member of the Orlando and Clearwater, Florida Lawn Bowling Clubs.