In the din of the smoky bowling alley was a man. His name on the bowling screen read Ford Fairlane 57. He was dressed like a biker – replete with a leather vest over a work shirt with rolled up sleeves, a large, shiny belt buckle of the Ford logo, leather bracelets and a doorag emblazoned with an eagle and an American flag.
He has been bowling in Leesburg for 50 years.
“If you think that’s interesting,” he said, “I’ve been making [coffins] for twenty years. For free!” He excused himself to finish his game.
“Coffins?,” he responded later to the question based on his misheard statement, “No no! Coffee! Like you drink! I make it for free at 7-11 to help them out. People will joke, ‘Are you making that pot for yourself?’ and I’ll say ‘No I’m making it for you’ because I don’t drink coffee. I make it but I don’t drink coffee. Put that in there.”
Somehow the aspect of his life that garnered him an interview seemed to be, in his own mind, the least interesting thing about him. Surely he had a grandiose plan, a passion for the sport, or a touching personal narrative. Or maybe his life was such that bowling was the least interesting thing about him.
Samuel Hutchison
lived on a farm in
In those days Leesburg had two attractions, Tally Ho and the bowling alley.
“I went to the movies every night before the bowling alley opened,” Hutchison said, “My dad used to take me when I was a kid. There were westerns and Tarzan. You’d go every week to see what happened [next]. My dad was taking me, but he also wanted to see what happened to Tarzan!”
When the bowling alley opened he bowled every night for two years before switching to pool for 20.
“We’d be taking turns at pool, pinball and bowling at the same time,” he said.
Asked again just why he had done this for 50 years, he replied nonchalantly. “There was nothing else to do back then,” he said, “That’s where it was happening.”
Thus Ford Fairlane was born. He named himself after his favorite car, the 1957 Ford Fairlane, which he owns in addition to his 16 other classic cars and 8 trucks.
“I wish it were my real name,” he said, “It has a nice ring to it.”
When asked about the affects his bowling has had on his life, he smiles and shrugs.
“My ex-wife gave me a devil about it,” he said, “I wanted her to go bowling, but she wanted to go to dances and things.”
His family’s farm was sold in 1991 and each brother retains 50 acres. Retired, Hutchison makes coffee and bowls. He reveals that he’s 66. He said that bowling has helped him stay active.
“If you lay around you don’t last too long,” he said.
He quit smoking when he found out he had emphysema six years ago. He has also become an avid churchgoer in his retirement years.
“My mom wanted me to go and every week. I’d make up excuses, [but now] I can’t wait ‘til Sunday. I wish I had started when she was still alive,” he said, his statement punctuated by a reflective pause.
He still bowls every night (not too long ago if he showed up even a few minutes after his regular time of 9pm, people would wonder where he was). All in all, retirement has been very good to Ford Fairlane.
“I’m enjoying life right now,” he said, his blue eyes aglow. “I think a man ought to do whatever he wants to do,” he smiles, “I’ve been real lucky.”