Westbury man, 104, is 2nd oldest bowler in U.S.

Gene Scala is a celebrity at Syosset Lanes.

Part of that has to do with the intricate, bedazzled outfits he wears daily.

The other part is his remarkable longevity - he will turn 105 on Aug. 21.

Scala, who bowls every Wednesday in a senior league, is the second-oldest league bowler in the United States, just behind 106-year-old Ted Muller of Burbank, Calif., according to the United States Bowling Congress.

Scala, who averages 130, joined his decades-younger teammates Wednesday and finished with scores of 144, 123 and 103. "He's very focused and competitive," said teammate John Conover, 74, of Kings Park.

In his first game, Scala recorded two strikes, sending his teammates into a frenzy. A huge grin came across his face.

"I'm crazy about bowling," he said.

Scala, known for his eccentric style of dressing, accessorized his brown suit Wednesday - it's always a suit, no matter the temperature - with a hat, tie and belt, all covered in multicolored beads and sequins.

"I have three belts, 40 hats, and 50 ties that I sewed myself," said Scala, who, while working as a tailor decades ago, bought 400 pounds worth of beads and sequins from a dress factory that was closing. The complicated pieces take him months to make.

"He always matches, and has a different spiffy outfit on every week," said teammate Joan Poulos, 80, of Hicksville.

"I've always dressed like this, and I will for as long as I live," said Scala, who has resided at Arbors Assisted Living in Westbury for the past five years. "I like to look good!"

Born in 1905, he moved to Brooklyn from Italy with his family in 1919, and worked for a tailor. He was married three times and had three children, all of whom he has outlived.

"I have three trades - beautician, musician, and tailor," he said. He opened Gene's Beauty Shop, where he worked as a tailor and a beautician, in Brooklyn in 1931 and later relocated to East Islip, where he remained for 40 years.

A musician for 80 years, he said he played saxophone in nightclubs in Greenwich Village and the clarinet in a community orchestra in Brooklyn.

"I don't play every single day now, but I've still got a lot of wind," he said.

Scala has been part of the senior league at the Jericho Turnpike lanes for 10 years, but has been a competitive bowler since he was 17. His best score of 299, he said, came in his mid-70s. "As long as my legs work and I can throw the ball, then I'll keep going until I'm 200 years old," he said.