Honoring Robert Byrne-At the USBA National Tournament (June 6-11),

At the USBA National Tournament (June 6-11), the USBA will honor a great supporter and lover of the game, the late Robert Byrne. As an author, scholar, historian, and player, he will be sorely missed. In his will, Bob demonstrated his love for Carom Billiards by bequeathing to the USBA his book and video collections and many of his literary papers, including the original manuscript of McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler. It was Bob’s wish that the USBA would sell these items and use the proceeds to promote billiards.

To maximize Bob’s generosity, I have established a USBA Historical Committee, chaired by our secreatary Tom Paley. Tom has enlisted Dennis Dieckman to catalogue, market and auction all this material. After two-months of hard work, the catalogue is complete and available to anyone interested in owning a piece of history. The inventory also includes items leftover from the Carl Conlon Estate Auction, and items from Dennis’ personal collection, including cues, books and magazines.

To get a copy of this inventory, please email Dennis at dennisdieckman@gmail.com. Please act quickly, as bidding has commenced. All monies collected will go to the USBA. Anyone else who would like to donate similar materials to help fund the USBA’s efforts to promote carom billiard, please get in touch with Dennis.

Finally, I am pleased to report that the USBA now has a team of dedicated members working on its behalf, and I am very excited for the future. We still need more people on the team. If you have a passion for the game and want to help, contact me personally. We want to hear your ideas on how to promote our beautiful sport.