Gary Vacin
The Lucky Shot Pool Club’s Grand Old Man is hanging up his pool cue.
After playing 4,190 games over a 17-year period, Dick Hensley played his final tournament game in April and reluctantly gave up his club membership. And, in his imitable fashion, he went out in a winning way, defeating Mike Giarlo, 7-5.
“It was time to call it quits,” Hensley said. “My eyesight is not what it used to be and I was unable to drive to the Cottonwood Pool Room. I will miss the camaraderie provided by club members, but I will still look forward to playing fun games when called upon.”
A Cottonwood resident since 1986, Hensley joined the club in 1997, two years after its founding. He helped establish the club in its formative years. “Back in those days, we had a men and women in the club,” he said. Now the ladies have a league of their own, with play being conducted on Saturday mornings.
Hensley recalls when the club had referees who were responsible for seeing that members of their assigned pockets were keeping up with their tournament responsibilities and settling disputes between players. The first tournament featured head-to-head play in 8-Ball, 9-Ball and rotation, he said. Now club members may choose between 8-Ball and 9-Ball.
Hensley served as club president for three years, and more recently, was a member-at-large on the club’s board. Here he operated behind the scenes, performing various functions including making reservations for the club’s spring awards luncheon and fall membership meeting, maintaining liaison with Cottonwood’s recreation manager, reserving and manning a table at the annual Cottonwood Open House, maintaining plaques with tournament winners’ names, maintaining a roster of club players and providing leadership for updating the Cottonwood Pool Room, including getting new cues and table playing surfaces on several occasions and obtaining new tables in 2012. He was a member of the first Cottonwood Homeowners Association Recreation Committee formed in 1993.
Dick will be missed by club members, but will be available to play games, when asked. He can be reached at 895-6309.