This will be the last segment of this article regarding my wonder memories of Dorothy Wise
MOSCONI & CO.
When big name players went on the road to perform in exhibitions, they always faced off against a top local player. When they came to Sequoia Billiards in Redwood City they played Dorothy Wise, and I saw Dorothy play exhibition matches at Sequoia Billiards against Joe Procita, Jimmy Caras and Willie Mosconi. For my friends and I seeing players of that caliber was just short of seeing God. We'd see the announcement and wouldn't sleep at night waiting for these events to happen. We were there waiting when these players walked in the door of Sequoia Billiards.
The big name players always won these matches, and it was always a great show. I remember Caras had a high run going when he hit 125 to win. Then, for the benefit of the crowd, he kept shooting to see how far he could go. Willie Mosconi was all business Caras was very personable. He demonstrated some fundamentals before going into his trick shot routine, and spent some time urging kids to enjoy the sport. I remember Caras executing a length of the table draw shot. We kids thought we'd never see anything like that again.
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JIMMY WISE
Dorothy's husband Jimmy had one of the best strokes I've ever seen. After Dorothy played her match with Joe Procita, Joe stepped to the billiard table and asked the crowd if they had any particular 3-cushion shots they'd like him to attempt. No one had any, until Jimmy came out from behind the counter and set up a complicated shot. Joe looked it over and said, "That's very tough, I don't think it can be made, but I'll try." He tried four times and failed. Jimmy asked, "Do you mind if I try it myself?" Joe graciously said, "Sure." Jimmy made the shot on the first attempt. He had an amazing stroke.
I enjoyed Jimmy's dry sense of humor. Once, Jimmy put a ball directly in front of a pocket and said to me, "I'll give you $15 if you can make this ball." I immediately took him up on it and knocked the ball in. He pulled the ball from the pocket and examined it. "You didn't make this ball," he said. "This ball was made in Chicago in 1941." (They were and old set of clay balls)
LAST MEETING
As kids of that age will do, after several years I found new interests, and I drifted away from pool for a while. The last time I saw Dorothy was in 1967 or '68. I had taken up archery and was practicing at an indoor range in Mountain View California, at a rec center that also had pool tables. Dorothy was there doing a promotion of some sort and, of course, greeted me kindly. Dorothy and her opinion of me must have meant a lot to me, because I remember that I felt like a traitor standing there with a bow in my hand.
Dorothy Wise was wonderful to me during the years I spent playing and learning the game at Sequoia Billiards. I'm very grateful to her and to Jimmy. To this day, deep down, I feel bad that I wasn't holding a cue the last time I saw her.
(Born in Spokane, Washington in 1914, Dorothy Wise was a seminal figure in women's tournament pool. In her early years, there were few national tournaments for women. As the winner of many state and local competitions, she became the self-proclaimed world champion. Then, beginning in 1967 when the Billiard Congress of America staged its first national women's tournament, Dorothy won five consecutive U.S. Open titles. She was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 1981, and died at the age of 80)
Note: I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed recalling these wonderful menories
L.S.Dennis
