Paul Lane, long associated with the World Cup tournament during his career with AMF, has been elected to the Distinguished Service section of the United Kingdom Tenpin Hall of Fame. 

Also elected for their bowling were Steve Thornton and Donna Ellis (Adams). 

Lane got his start in the industry working at the base bowling center at USAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.. He began as a pinboy and moved on to various positions within the center, including laneman, snack bar manager, front desk and assistant manager. 

In the late 1950s, he participated in exhibitions featuring famous U.S. Bowlers, including Lee Jouglard, Tom Hennessey, Marion Ladewig and Frank Clause. In 1958, he was involved with what was believed to be the first live TV coverage of bowling in the U.K., an hour-long show that took place at the four-lane U.S. military base at South Ruislip. 

In January 1960, Lane attended the grand opening of the first public bowling center in the U.K. at Stamford Hill as a guest. This led to an offer to join AMF’s instruction staff, which he accepted and then participated in the grand opening of the King Alfred Lanes in Hove in September 1960. 

This was the start of what turned into a 30-year career with the company — and a travel schedule that took him to more than 50 countries as one of the key staffers involved in organizing and staging the AMF Bowling World Cup. 

From 1983 to 1990, Lane continued his involvement with the World Cup, served on the Marketing Committee of the National Bowling Council, and served as AMF’s Director of Marketing and Marketing Services. He left the company to become an independent contractor and start Paul Lane Marketing, representing more than a dozen industry integers. 

Since 1992, Lane and his wife have lived in Denver, Colorado. 

The Hall of Fame bowler awards are sponsored by Storm Products through its United Kingdom distributor, Bowltech U.K. The Distinguished Service award is sponsored by the Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association. Induction details will be announced later.