John Paul Cattano of Morris Township has been named 2015 recipient of The Patrick Carroll Memorial Trophy, an award presented annually to a participant in the Morris Chapter of ARC/McARP bowling program.
The award was established by Patrick’s family in 2010 to honor a special needs bowler who demonstrates enthusiasm for the sport, perseverance and significant improvement in his/her scores throughout the year.
John Paul, 32, son of Bonnie Cattano and the late Charles Cattano, has been bowling since 1996 with Morris County Adaptive Recreation Program (McARP) East, sponsored by the ARC/Morris, at the Hanover Lanes.
He is a fan of Jeopardy and likes to do word searches and visit garage sales to look for movies and CDs. He attends an ARC special needs program in Hanover.
The trophy, known as “The Patrick,” was presented at the program’s yearly bowling awards dinner at Zeri’s Inn in Mountain Lakes.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The award’s namesake, Patrick Carroll, died in 2010 at age 43. As a toddler, he received intensive radiation to treat a brain tumor. The treatment left him with several disabilities and confined him to a wheelchair.
Despite his handicaps, he graduated from Morristown High School and for many years worked at a sheltered workshop. He would have loved to play hockey, the family sport. Instead, like John Paul, he became an avid bowler (and also a Jeopardy fan).
In his last months, Patrick bowled three straight strikes — which he called a “hat trick,” borrowing a hockey term.
The Carroll family wanted to honor Patrick’s memory by funding something that gave him joy, explained his mother, Peggy Carroll. “And the people at the ARC were happy to do it,” she said.
The fund helps provide free dinner tickets for bowlers in financial need and for trophies given to everyone. Patrick award winners are chosen by bowling coaches, alternating between programs in eastern and western Morris County. John Paul’s coach is Rita Thompson, who has led the East program for many years.
