RENO, Nev. - Donald Beitler of South Bend, Ind., made his USBC Open Championships debut as a doubles and singles substitute at the 1959 event in St. Louis.

Beitler never dreamed of reaching 50 years of participation while making his first march down Center Aisle, but he now is part of Open Championships history after becoming the 142nd bowler to celebrate five decades on the championship lanes.

"It feels great," said Beitler, who bowls league at South Bend's Chippewa Bowl. "You know not too many bowlers get an opportunity to do that, so I feel pretty fortunate to go this long at this tournament. This is definitely one of my major accomplishments, and it's a lifetime experience."

The 79-year-old right-hander has many memories from his Open Championships journey, but none are more important than his first tournament.

"I bowled in St. Louis in 1959," said Beitler, who is a member of the Indiana State Bowling Hall of Fame. "I took a guy's spot who couldn't make it. I never gave it a thought that I would make it this far. Even when I was around 40 appearances, I never gave it much thought."

Beitler had the opportunity to share his momentous occasion with his three sons, David, Richard and Robert, whom also shared the tournament lanes with him. Although Beitler's late wife, Joan, was unable to be present physically, he dedicated the occasion to her.

"We had a lot fun out there today," Beitler said. "It was nice to be with the kids today, although I miss Joan a lot. I really missed her not being here. This is a dedication to her, and she definitely wanted to see it happen."

Beitler would like to reach 55 years of participation, but admits that anything after that would be icing on the cake.

He rounded out his milestone campaign with 511 in singles, 458 in doubles and 377 in team for a 1,346 total. In 50 appearances, Beitler has knocked down 81,958 pins for a 183.3 career average.

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.

Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.