Jim Pennington was born in Stanly County on March 29, 1935. He became interested in bowling while a senior at Albemarle High School in 1954. It is not known what he did for a career after high school, but Pennington later served as an inspector for the Federal Pacific Electric Company. From March 1958 to March 1960, he served in the United States Army at Fort Bragg. His passion, however, was bowling. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Pennington was active in bowling tournaments at the local, state and regional levels. For several years during the late 1960s, he was a member of the North Carolina All-Star Bowling Team, which was composed of the five best bowlers in the state. For two years he served as team captain. Pennington is known to have bowled three 300 (perfect) games, which he once described as being “more difficult to attain than shooting three holes-in-one in golf.” Unfortunately, Pennington’s health forced him to retire from the game that he loved. He passed away on April 20, 1976, at just 41 years old. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}