billiards Promoter Joe Kerr Passes Away
Longtime friend, player, and promoter of billiards, Joe “Joker” Kerr passed away Sunday, July 6, 2008, succumbing to myasthenia gravis. Kerr was born March 25, 1945, in Akron, OH, and lived all his life in that area, attending Archbishop Hoban High School and the University of Akron. For 15 years he was the store manager for Carlton Clothes and then became regional manager for Nelson Stag Shops.
In 1978 Kerr became a member of the Men’s Professional billiards Association (MPBA) and won several titles, including the 1983 Detroit Open and the 1985 Genesis Classic Championship. Two years later he founded Joker Promotions, directing and promoting professional pool events all over the world. When, in 1988, he was elected executive director/secretary treasurer of the MPBA, he began representing the top 1,000 players in the world.
One of the biggest honors of his life came to Kerr in 2000 when he was inducted into the Canton Sports Hall of Fame as a promoter and player. Kerr also worked as a writer for several industry publications, including On the Snap. Additionally, he was the house pro at both the infamous Starcher’s and Diamond billiards in Akron.
Kerr is survived by his parents, his two children, and his three grandsons.
Mike Janis of the Viking cue 9-ball Tour said, “Joe ‘Joker’ Kerr, was a dear friend of mine as well as our sport. Joe made a huge contribution to our sport with his professional tournament direction, promotional skills, and wonderful personality. He was a pleasure to be around and will be dearly missed by all he who knew him.

“In 1996 Joe Kerr received the only lifetime honorary membership the Viking Tour has ever issued. Over the years Joe and I stayed in constant contact, and he was always willing to help out with whatever he could. I will deeply miss my conversations with Joe and wish I had more time to spend with him.”
Family and friends can visit Adams-Mason Memorial Chapel at 791 East Market Street, Akron, OH, from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, with a memorial service at 7 p.m. Memorials may be made in the name of Joseph Kerr to the Ohio Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, 2907 Lincoln Way E Unit B, Massillon, OH 44646.

DELTA-13 to be Used at Upcoming Junior billiard Championships
Executive billiards, the maker of DELTA-13 “The True Triangle,” has donated 27 original prototype racks to the billiard Education Foundation (BEF) to use in their upcoming 2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships. This year’s events will be held at the University of Arizona in Tucson July 8-13.
The BEF’s purpose to “further a standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community” falls right in line with the Executive billiards business principles. “We are very proud to be a part of these juniors’ events. They are just as important as the professional ones. Today’s juniors are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Samm Diep, marketing director for Executive billiards.
“The BEF is excited to have Executive billiards on board as one of our event sponsors. We have one hundred and eighty participants this year, and I’m sure they will look forward to trying out this new innovative rack,” said Laura Smith, president of the BEF.
To learn more about the billiard Education Foundation and their future events, visit BilliardEducation.org. Ask for the DELTA-13 rack at your favorite billiard supply store, visit DELTA-13.com, or call 866.915.2058.

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Wilkie and Lac Win billiards Gold in Sterling
Tiger pool Tour / Sterling, VA
by Skip Maloney
Shaun Wilkie held off a strong surge by Brandon Shuff in the finals but finished undefeated in the Tiger pool Tour stop the weekend of July 6-7. The Bob Stocks Memorial, hosted by the First Break Café in Sterling, VA, drew 48 entrants to the $1,500-added open tournament and 12 women to the $350-added ladies’ event, won by My-Hanh Lac.
Earlier in the day, Wilkie and Shuff had faced down Matt Krah and Shane Jackson among the winners’ side final four to advance. The hot seat match-up that followed had Wilkie prevailing over Shuff 9-6.
On the one-loss side, Matt Clatterbuck and Danny Green advanced to face each other in the quarterfinals, where Clatterbuck dropped Green into fourth place with a 7-5 victory and then turned to face Shuff in the semifinals. Shuff, looking to at least duplicate his second-place finish on the tour’s last stop, ousted Clatterbuck to get his chance.
Wilkie jumped out to a commanding 8-3 lead in the race-to-11 finals before Shuff fought back to tie it. After trading the next two racks, Wilkie reached the hill first. Shuff had his chances in last game, but Wilkie left him with a jump shot that he missed. With ball in hand, Wilkie closed it out at 11-9 to take first place.
In the ladies’ event, My-Hanh Lac chalked up her second straight Tiger Tour win with a commanding 9-2 victory over Rachel Eliazar in the finals. The final four on the winners’ side of Sunday’s event ended up as the top four finishers.
Pauline Mattes and Rachael Eliazar dropped Sueyen Rhee and Ji Hyun Park out of contention before facing each other in the quarterfinals. Eliazar advanced to face Kim Smith in the semifinals on the heels of a hill-hill victory and went on to challenge Lac. In a race to 9, Lac wasted little time in repeating her victory on the tour’s last stop, defeating Eliazar 9-2 to capture the first-place prize.
Open Results:
1st Shaun Wilkie
2nd Brandon Shuff
3rd Matt Clatterbuck
4th Danny Green
5th Matt Krah
Shane Jackson
7th Manny Chau
Shawn Toni
9th Pooky Rasmeloungon
Eric Moore
Paul Adolini
Steve Lillis

Ladies’ Results:
1st My-Hanh Lac
2nd Rachel Eliazar
3rd Kim Smith
4th Pauline Mattes

Junior billiards Stars Head for Arizona
2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona, Tucson
The most prestigious junior collegiate pool tournaments in North America, the billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Junior Nationals and the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate 9-ball Championships will be held at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ. The Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) will host this event July 8th – 13th, 2008. ACUI competition will be held July 8th- 10th, while the junior festivities will commence on Thursday, July 10th and continue through Sunday, July 13th.
The SUMC billiards and Games Room features 16 professional size pool tables and will be the stage to an expected 180 young athletes competing for academic scholarships, prizes and an invitation to represent the United States at the World pool-billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships. Junior contestants earned their right to participate by winning a BEF recognized qualifier or were nominated through their local junior pool league. Collegiate players were invited to participate through their success at an ACUI regional tournament.
Juniors will travel from 30 different states to compete in this year’s event and over 30 colleges will be represented by billiard athletes. For a complete list of junior players, visit BilliardEducation.org
The billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/) or contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039 or LauraSmith[at]BilliardEducation.org
The Association of College Unions International supports its members in the development of community through education, advocacy, and the delivery of services. For more information, visit ACUI.org.