Catherine E. Quigley (1887-1983) My grandmother, Catherine (Kit) Quigley, was both a woman of her time and ahead of her time, and a role model for building a life around family and personal passion. Arriving as a child in an immigrant family of six children, she walked the traditionalist path. Kit was 33 and already the mother of 3 sons when women won the right to vote. At that time, a woman’s world was very much oriented to home and family and grandma embraced those roles. In addition to her three sons, she was grandmother of 11, and a great grandmother of 21. She was a blend of contradictions. Demure, even shy, and yet loved to perform. She would seemingly “go with the flow” and somehow always get her way. She unabashedly loved, appreciated, and catered to men. Looking at old photos, I noticed how she showed her shapely legs at every opportunity. Both a romantic and a one-man woman, she never remarried after grandpa died and would sing “Love Makes the World Go Round” at the drop of a hat. We grandchildren relished going to grandma’s house. For me, it was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. I savored her apple tarts and sauerbraten, along with that stash of tootsie rolls at the top of cabinet in the dining room. She was fun and game for anything. She and I played competitive jacks on the floor in front of our fireplace when she was in her early 80’s. Kit’s nickname was “Cyclone Kit.” She was a woman on the move and first one out the door. All that energy and vitality found an outlet at the bowling alley. Introduced to duckpin bowling by a friend, Kit and her husband became regulars at the old Brookland Lanes in Northeast Washington, D.C. They won the husband and wife tournament 3 times. Her youngest son, my dad, grew up setting pins at the bowling alley until automatic pin setters put him out of a job. My parents bowled in a league for many years. My bowling shoes are still in my closet although I haven’t had a chance to slide down the alleyways for years. I knew she was good, but I had no idea how good. As part of some research I was doing on family history, I was astonished to find more than 50 articles about Catherine Quigley and her bowling prowess in the press. It turns out she was a duckpin bowling superstar! Kit was ranked nationally four times (third in the U.S.) in 1930 and voted the most valuable duckpin player of the year in 1934. In 1940, she rolled the all-time record high game for the Washington D.C. area, a 169. She is one of 16 women in the Duckpin Old Timers Hall of Fame. In 27 years, Kit bowled 4,440 games without a missing a game. One reporter referred to Kit as the “Lady Lou Gehrig of the Mapleways.” When her mom passed away in Connecticut, her Washington, D.C. team called off a scheduled match rather than have her break her streak! Wow! There was a Catherine Quigley Sweepstakes tournament held in her honor in 1938. Kit bowled well into her 90’s. My Grandma Kit found a way to shine at a time when there were few opportunities for women to compete, particularly in sports. What impresses me most is how she discovered something she loved to do and blazed a path to excellence. Grandma, we salute you!