‘GUARADIAN’ PIONEER DON LUTZ PASSES AWAY

Don Lutz, part of the team that developed and sold the Guardian lane surface and, later, Glow-in-the-Dark Guardian, has died.

The 30-year veteran of the bowling business spent most of his career with Perry-Austen International, the company that developed the Guardian product to help extend the life of old wood lanes that were down to their last “cuts.” The Glow-in-the-Dark Guardian helped usher in the era of weekend “entertainment bowling,” transforming the look and feel of bowling centers in conjunction with special-effects lighting and music.

Lutz had been retired from the bowling industry for 26 years at the time of his death.

The man who hired him at P-A, George Bradner, is retired and living in Arizona. Another member of the “Guardian team,” Gregg Pasdiora, remains active in the business as the proprietor of three centers in Illinois.

“I not only worked with Don, but he was my best friend,” Pasdiora said. “Many of the people in the industry today would not know of him, but it’s important to remember people like Don for the contributions he made to our industry.”

Bradner said that Lutz “got along very well with people. He was very social. In our end of the bowling business, the social aspect was very important. We were dealing with resurfacers, and he got along well with them. He worked closely with the National Association of Independent Resurfacers.”

Added Bradner: “Don’s big plus as a salesman was his ability to get along with people. Our pricing was higher than anyone else’s, but he was able to sell it. I was proud to say that he worked for me.”