Fran (Feuer) Deken

Fran Feuer Wolf Deken is a professional bowler recognized for her service and leadership in the sport. She represented the United States at the 2001 and 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel as captain and bowler on the women’s team, winning medals in singles, doubles, team, trios and all events and was awarded the Yetty Bennett Sportsman Award in 2001. She also participated in the 2003 Pan American Maccabiah Games in Santiago, Chile and bowled the British Open, finishing in the top eight and was third in the Malta Senior Open. Deken is a past president and board member of the Bowling Writers Association of America and winner of their Hennessey Award of Merit in 2016. She has been inducted into the following Halls of Fame: United States Bowling Congress (for service), Professional Women Bowlers Association (service), Southern Nevada (skill), Tulsa Area (skill), Oklahoma State (skill), Greater Kansas City (skill), and Kansas State (skill). While at New Trier, Deken was extremely active in GAA. Her after school sports were soccer, field hockey, volleyball, basketball, and softball, but aside from all that she still had time for bowling on the weekends. She began bowling at age 10 at the Winnetka Community House and continues to bowl leagues to this day. Deken bowled competitively for the University of Iowa for 4 years, winning national titles in 1962 and 1964. She became a professional bowler in 1973 after her first husband passed away. She bowled the tour off and on for 7 years while raising two sons. When the tour needed help with media, Deken volunteered to write press releases (not too difficult for an English major). She realized that she was not a top player but could still contribute with her ability to lead and organize. She became the national tournament director for the Professional Women Bowlers Association in 1981 and has been involved with them ever since, currently as their historian. This has led to volunteer work as a member of the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame Committee (served as chair 2012-2014) and the PWBA Hall of Fame committee, where she still serves on both. Deken also volunteered to become a member of the board of her local bowling association in 2006 and still continues that activity. She was hired to be Association Manager for the Oklahoma State Bowling Association in 2017, a part-time job she still enjoys, running several statewide tournaments each year and handling the organization’s financial duties. Deken says her greatest achievement is her two sons, Paul and Charles Wolf, who are great fathers and great people.