by Dave Williams
As I continued looking through the incredible files of Henry Kaven, the “boss” of the AMF Advisory Staff of Champions, I came upon the photos and promotional write-up for Paula Sperber-Carter, a lifelong resident of Miami, Florida.
As a teenager, Paula worked at the famous Miami Coliseum Bowling Palace. It was there that she developed her love for the game and eventually joined the PWBA at the age of eighteen. Just a couple of years later, she pocketed close to $15,000 in total earnings, including a victory at the U.S. Open that was valued at $4,000.
Paula signed with the AMF staff as a result of winning the U.S. Open. She looked back fondly and remembered beating another AMF staffer, June Llewellyn from Pompano Beach, Florida. “On the first ball I lost my balance and spun around twice, waving my arms like a big bird,” said Paula in an article that appeared in Sports Illustrated (“She Never Played With Dolls,” by Pat Putnam).
“She got the strike,” wrote Putnam, “and then a second, and finally nine pins to finish with a 215. Llewellyn left a 4-6 split and missed both pins for a 214.” It was an auspicious start to Paula’s professional career in bowling that was cut short by what doctors told her was PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I think it started when I was sent to Japan for a series of exhibitions,” recalled Carter in a phone interview earlier this week. “While in Sapporo, a remote area in the very northern part of the country, I encountered a ‘panic attack’ brought on by desolation and loneliness.”
Paula said that she never fully recovered from that experience, and after winning a second U.S. Open in 1975, she decided to call it quits. “I called Woody Woodruff and told him that I couldn’t handle the travel anymore.” Her last appearance was for the Beat the Champs telecast in Chicago, with “The Tenpin Tattler,” Sam Weinstein. She beat PBA pro Don Johnson by 40 pins.
Meeting Don Carter
When I asked Paula about how she met Don Carter, she thought back to how Eddie Elias, founder of the PBA, called her to see if she could help with Don’s visit to Miami. “Eddie was my business manager, and he said that Don had just gone through a divorce and had never been to Miami, and maybe I could show him around and make him feel at home.”
The rest, as they say, is history. The two dated for four years, followed by a marriage that lasted 36 years, until Don’s death in 2012. They both shared in a disdain for travel — Don on airplanes and Paula in automobiles, so they kept close to home and built an empire of bowling centers with the assistance of partners in Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
“Paula and I really miss Kendall Lanes because we practically lived there for 30 years,” Carter told Dick Evans of the Miami Herald in 2006. “We would hang out there a lot because it was close to our home. We had a lot of close friends at Kendall and miss seeing them all the time.” Kendall Lanes, like so many other bowling centers, was purchased by a development firm that converted the space into a shopping center that includes Starbucks, Staples, Walgreen’s, Panera Bread, and all the other usual culprits.
Paula Carter Today
After her retirement from the PWBA, Paula used the additional free time to volunteer at the Family Resource Center of South Florida (frcflorida.org). “We started with a budget of around $100,000 in 1978, and today we are the leader in child welfare services in South Florida,” stated Carter.
“The goal of the organization is to prevent and change dysfunctional parent and child interaction patterns, promote self-concepts and build healthy relationships to prevent the abuse of children,” said Paula.
It was during this time that Paula met and became very attached to a crack baby that was left at the center. The 2 year old was attracted to Carter because she resembled the child’s mother. Paula befriended the mom as well and discussed the possibility of adopting the 2 year old named John.
But first she would need to discuss this with Mr. Carter. Paula came home one day from the Resource Center and told Don, “You’re going to need to sit down for this one.” As she told him about her interest in the 2 year old, Don expressed some reservation and told Paula that he wasn’t sure if he was ready to go through the process of adopting a 2 year old, since he had already experienced raising children.
But with some coaxing from Paula, Don agreed to visit the Resource Center and meet John. “When we sat down, John reached out to Don and touched him,” said Paula. “That was all it took.” John is now 42 years old and on his own. Paula continued, “He talks all the time about Don and misses him very much, as we all do.”
The Carter’s also fostered a son named Robert from Boys Town, who is now 56 and has multiple sclerosis. Paula continues her volunteer work today at The Palace in Kendall (thepalace.org), a center for senior citizens. She currently works as a volunteer for dementia patients. “It’s interesting that we are known more for what we have done outside bowling than for our involvement in bowling here in Miami.”
Paula has found her unique niche in this life, doing the work of the Lord. What an amazing life story…
- Photo provided by Dave Williams, from the files of Henry Kaven
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