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How do I know you have too much time on your hands?
UA graduate sponsors chance for students to rack up school funds
By Carol Biliczky
Beacon Journal
Published on Monday, Mar 10, 2008
Students get scholarships for excelling in science, kicking a football and, at the University of Akron, shooting a little pool.
A UA alumnus funded an unusual scholarship program that allows three students each fall and spring to claim as much as $1,000 for school or books.
Barry Lefkowitz, 65, started the program to keep his beloved billiards alive at the university, but it is also something more to him.
''The state of mind of being at a tournament carries over into other areas. It's that self-confidence,'' Lefkowitz, a Cleveland resident, said.
He knows of what he speaks: He was the university's billiards champion in 1965 and 1966, although no money was involved in those days.
After his graduation in 1966, he became a stockbroker and retired as a senior vice president at Salomon Smith Barney.
Since starting the billiards tournament in 2002, he's given out about $10,000 in scholarship awards.
When the university built the new Student Union in 2004, UA officials approached him about outfitting their new billiards room. Lefkowitz gave $125,000 to buy 13 pool tables in what became the Barry Lefkowitz Billiard Parlor.
Here students practice pool, take classes in the art of racking and cracking balls and compete in leagues, said George Tilden, the UA employee who oversees the game room and theater.
Some students likely are practicing for the next Lefkowitz scholarship tournament on March 29. A $1,000 first prize,
$500 second prize and $250 third prize will be up for grabs in the nine-ball game that Lefkowitz and his son customized.
Past winners have included Mike Shrum, 21, a junior from Canton who ranks ninth among college players nationwide in the Association of College Unions International.
For winning the UA top prize three times in a row, he's banned from competing again, but that hasn't squashed his aspiration to be a professional player.
''I've never been one for team sports,'' the business major said. ''With this, you don't need anyone to play. Plus I was a natural at it.''
He's played for about six years, sometimes ''17 hours a day in the summer,'' but there are no skill requirements for the tournament, so any UA student can enter.
This is double elimination play, which means a winning player plays another winner and a losing player a fellow loser. If defeated a second time, the player is out of the competition.
The winning player probably will have to play about 10 games to walk away with the top prize.
In last fall's eight-ball tournament, 158 students competed and at least that many are expected this time.
As for Lefkowitz, he can't remember when he first picked up a cue, but allows it probably was when he was sitting around with a bunch of guys, beers in hand, time on their hands.
He said he wasn't good enough to compete professionally. But he did have a moment of glory a dozen or so years ago at a Cleveland restaurant when he paid $10 to play the pro who was the inspiration for the character Fast Eddie Felson, portrayed by Paul Newman in the 1986 movie The Color of Money and in The Hustler in 1961.
The pro was supposed to go easy on amateurs like Lefkowitz. But Felson was too easy early on and Lefkowitz surpassed him and, to his surprise, won.
Since then, ill health has sidelined Lefkowitz from the game. But he still keeps his hand in by officiating at the twice-a-year tournaments at UA.
He can't recommend the high that comes with playing pool too, well, highly.
''This is good, clean fun,'' he said. ''Who wants to sit around and talk about business?''
Details:
What: Barry Lefkowitz Nine-Ball Billiards tournament
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 29
Where: UA Student Union game room
Entry requirement: Players must be UA students
Win: A $1,000, $500 or $250 scholarship
For details: Call 330-972-6390
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.
Students get scholarships for excelling in science, kicking a football and, at the University of Akron, shooting a little pool.
Get the full article here.
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