Osterville Men's Club

Did you know that King Henry VIII was an avid bowler? Interestingly, in 1511 he banned bowling for the lower classes and imposed a levy for private lanes to limit them to the wealthy. In 1617 King James I published Declaration of Sports, banning bowling on Sundays! Well, fortunately the Osterville Men’s Club does not ban bowling, nor limit those who can play it, but encourages members to join in on the fun at the Ryan Amusement Center on Route 28 in Yarmouth.

Known as the Gerald R. Fortier Bowling League, this is a handicap league that bowls weekly and since it is handicapped, one’s skill level as a bowler is not a significant factor.  Substitute bowlers are encouraged to participate since there are currently eight teams.  The club bowls from September until April, which allows players to participate in the start of golf season.  At the end of each season all bowlers receive a monetary award based on their team’s final standing at a bowling banquet.   

In his brief history of the Osterville Men’s Club, Bill Cutliffe said that in 1963 Rudolph R Lind was the first Bowling Chair. Interestingly there have only been ten Chairs in fifty-four years. The last two, Fortier and Hulme, spanned twenty-two and yet counting.

But who was Gerald R. Fortier, for whom the bowling league was named? Fortier was graduated from St. Cloud State College in St. Cloud, Michigan where he majored in French and Spanish; he later received a master’s degree in education. Initially employed with the St. Cloud High School as chair of the language department, he later joined the Springfield, Massachusetts School system as coordinator of languages, eventually becoming superintendent. In 1999 he was called to serve as interim school superintendent in Truro on Cape Cod. He was a member of the Modern Language Association, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

John Townes said “At the monthly Osterville Men’s Club Luncheon at the Hyannis Yacht Club [March 8, 2025], Gerry Fortier was presented with an inscribed trophy, two signed bowling pins, and a bowling pin bank (complete with a starter kit of 100 pennies). The bowling league members, and the OMC Executive Committee, voted to rename the league to the: Gerald R. Fortier Bowling League. Gerry was asked to read the trophy’s inscription in front of over 60 members.” Well, the teams have nicknames such as The Dudes, the Bad Boys, the Cape Codgers, the Pretenders, the Bull Horns and the Four Aces, with members sporting nicknames such as The Albany Flyer, The Swede, and the Candy Man, and Darwin.

The Fortier Bowling League meets on Thursdays at 10:00 AM at the Ryan Amusement Center on Route 28 in Yarmouth. Will Helmlinger is chair of the league and can be reached at (503) 779-8425 email: willhelminger@outlook.com