The ‘Mack’ Of All Trades Versatile 85-Year-Old Loves Bowling Most Of All

After 85 years, it’s understandable why L.A. “Mack” McKay might have a hard time summarizing all his achievements.

The longtime Spokane resident has held many different roles during the course of his lifetime, ranging from devoted father and husband to longtime athlete and coach. There have been many twists and turns along the way, but remarkably, McKay continues to add to his legacy.

An avid bowler and fisherman, in addition to being a Spokane Chiefs season-ticket holder, McKay has managed to maintain an active lifestyle at a time when many of his peers have not.

“I don’t have a secret,” he said. “I just go out and do whatever I can.”

McKay bowls at least three times a week and is averaging 190 in the Studs and Duds league at North Bowl. He began bowling in the league when it started in 1961.

“I don’t make any goals,” McKay said. “My bowling is going downhill. I just try to do as well as I can.”

There was a time McKay might have responded a little differently. He started bowling in 1931, and in the ensuing years was a member of numerous leagues.

While McKay refused to pick out a specific highlight from his bowling career, he has accomplished numerous feats, including rolling a 300 game and 760 three-game series.

McKay said he gets his greatest satisfaction from the impact he made on bowlers from the sidelines. McKay is a member of both the bowling and softball hall of fames for his work as a coach.

“As far as bowling is concerned, I had a lot more fun working with young people and watching them get better and do well as they went along,” McKay said.

“I guess I’m fond of people. And I like to see them progress at anything they want to do. If they didn’t want to, I wasn’t interested in them. They had to work at it.”

Work is something McKay knows a great deal about. He served as a machinist for the railroad, and split his free moments between family members and athletic pursuits.

“He’s had quite a life,” Vena McKay, Mack’s wife of 63 years, said.

McKay raised two sons, bowled in several leagues, fished regularly, and played both hockey and softball. Then in his spare time, McKay studied the facets of his craft.

“I went to several coaching clinics and studied what you were supposed to do,” McKay said. “I had a job where I had Saturday off, so I’d go down every Saturday morning and teach young people to bowl.”

McKay said the game of bowling has changed a great deal since he first became involved, but the fundamentals he taught his many students still apply.

“You have to walk up there right and you have to have the timing right,” McKay said. “You also have to put the ball on the alley right where you need to put it or else you’re out of luck.”

McKay said some of the friendships he made in bowling have also transcended the times.

“I’ve got lots of friends from bowling,” he said. “Hey, I’m down there (at North Bowl) and I see not children of the people I coached, but children of their children. Things like that make you feel good - (like) maybe you’ve accomplished something in the world.”