Mr. John A. Tasker was born in the State of Vermont, living there until the early 1940s. John received all his education in Vermont, culminating with a degree from the University of Vermont.Back to Hall of FameMr. Tasker entered the U.S. Army in the early 1940s and served until 1946, when he relocated to the Washington, D..C. area with his wife, Stet. His first duty station in this area was Arlington Hall Station in Arlington. Later, his office, NSA, was moved to Fort Meade, Md.
John began his bowling in the Washington area at Arlington Hall Station and subsequently moved to the Ten Pins Incorporated lanes in Alexandria. It was during this period of time that Mr. Tasker became interested in the administration side of the game and in the early 1950s, he was elected to the Washington City Ten Pin Bowling Association Board of Directors. In 1958 he was elected President, a position he was reelected to in 1959.
At the time of his election to the Presidency, the Association was experiencing many "growing pains" and many problems needed to be solved. Not one to shirk his duties, John met these problems head-on and with the assistance of the other members of the Board, soon had the problems corrected and the affairs of the Association progressing on a smooth and steady basis.
When Mr. Tasker took office as President in 1958, the Association had only 1725 teams. Upon completion of his second term in office, the Association had grown to 3603 teams, an increase of more than 100%. Much of this growth is attributed to John's promotional efforts.
John Tasker earned the name of "Bowler's President" while in office primarily because of his belief that the bowlers were the ones to be considered first, last, and always in every facet of the bowling game. At the same time, Mr. Tasker earned the respect of the bowling proprietors and managers because of his ability to recognize the position of these men with respect to problems that faced both organizations. Whatever the problem, John worked hard and diligently to arrive at an honorable solution.
After retirement from the office of President, John Tasker continued to serve the City Association and the bowlers. He carried out all assignments in a willing manner and always gave 100% effort. Whenever called upon, he assisted leagues with organizational problems and in many cases, served as an officer in the leagues.
In July 1970, both Mr. and Mrs. Tasker retired from Government service and moved to Pompano Beach, Florida. Two years later John Tasker again became affiliated with bowling in an official capacity when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Pompano Beach Bowling Association. John is still serving on that board at this time.