Mike & Martha

THE MIKE BENCRISCUTTO
&
MARTHA KROLL FAMILY

Martha Kroll, the sixth and last child born to her Polish immigrants, entered our world on Valentine's Day in 1919. The word Kroll means "king" in Polish. Members of Martha's father's family were prominent clothing factory owners in Poland. Trained and apprenticed in England, Stanley Kroll was a shoe designer in New York City and once made a pair of shoes for Woodrow Wilson. He met Martha's mother, Martha Rogotski, in New York where she first found work as a dress designer and seamstress, having been trained in Europe. She was the daughter of a District Judge living in Skoelsk, Poland, who later immigrated to America. 

Together Stanley and Martha moved their family to Milwaukee where they combined their business skills. The Kroll children were expected to excel in the arts. All learned to play stringed instruments and young Martha loved reading plays and became the director of the drama club at St. Matthew's Church. Some years later, she met Mike, her future husband, during a turned-around blind date.

Martha was dating a good friend of Mike's. One day Mike and his friend were planning to go out together. Mike was to have a blind date. Mike had seen Martha and suggested that his friend take the blind date and let him go out with Martha. Again, the rest is the history of a marriage that lasted a lifetime. Mike was working at Kelly's Korner during this period. It was wartime.

Mike was looking forward to a promising career as a touring professional golfer. He had a sponsor lined up and was planning to make his mark on the tour when he received an urgent call from the family. His father had a heart attack and no longer able to run Kelly's, Mike was asked to return home in order to operate the family business until the other sons got home from the war.

 

With five Bencriscutto brothers in uniform during WWII, Kelly's Korner went into a slump, but when Mike was unable to serve due to a back injury. He'd passed basic training, but before shipping out, and while his platoon was exercising without much on in the field, a doctor noticed his misaligned spine from old childhood injuries. He worked at Kelly's, though, and business picked up. While the boys were gone Mike made enough money to purchase Prima Vera for the family and made the garage connected to the property available to Adeline's father, Michael Catapano, so he could start up his body shop business. After the war, when his brothers returned, the Kelly's Korner till was full. One fateful night, when Mike was working at Kelly's with Loui, a patron got out of hand and Loui made him leave. Angry and drunk, he returned with a gun, pointed it at Mike thinking it was Loui, pulled the trigger...but by the providence of God the gun jammed.

 

Before the war, Mike, who had left the professional golf tour when learning of his father's medical crisis, was eager to give it another try, and not too long after his brothers resumed running the bar he did just that.

 

It was during the period when Mike was running Kelly's that he met and married Martha Kroll. He gave her an engagement ring during a church service and they were wed at St. Matthew's in Milwaukee, August 7, 1943. He didn't give up his love for golf and while Martha was raising their family of four girls, MaryAnn, Nancy, Kathryn and Laura (Matt came much later) Mike was developing a professional reputation and business surrounding his formidable talents in golf.

He built a driving range on the corner of Highway 20 and Ohio Streets in Racine, Wisconsin. Together with his wife, they manually constructed the facility, putting up fences and fastening together the driving mats. From that base Mike's reputation as an outstanding golf instructor grew assisted by his ongoing wins in local and state golf tournaments. He became the golf professional at Washington Park, then Johnson's Park golf courses and eventually took over the contract to run all the city's golf courses. He also opened a sporting goods store. He was respected and sought out by many, including some touring pros, as an instructor of golf. He invented and patented a golf glove used by thousands of people to help correct their hand action during the swing as well as a mechanical device to carve out the cup on a putting green.

Mike was a source of pride and inspiration to his family. He always instinctively knew when someone in the family needed assistance. He was always willing to give of himself to whatever extent he could. As a couple, Mike and Martha were valued friends to many other people. He taught his children to work hard and invest of themselves and their talents in order to succeed. His children have excelled in golf and in the arts, having inherited abilities from both of their talented parents.

MIKE & MARTHA'S FAMILY

MIKE
Born: 2-6-1921
Died: 3-5-1990
Vocation: Wisconsin Golf Professional - Wisconsin Amateur Golf Championship 1948-1949
Wisconsin State PGA Champion 1964,1968
Developed the Junior Master's Golf Tournament
Administrator of 3 public golf courses in Racine Wisconsin
Activities: Golf, swimming, bowling, basketball, football

MARTHA
Born: 2-14-1919
Vocation: Art Major at UW-Parkside
Activities: Gardening, attends concerts, art - sculpting
Phone: (Call Matt)
Address: 6121 Golf Ridge Drive Racine, WI 53402

MIKE & MARTHA'S CHILDREN

MARY ANN
Born: 5-27-1944
Vocation: Currently: Teaching Golf Professional, Apartment House Owner and Manager
Previously: Owner & Licensed Cosmetologist, Barber, Restaurant Manager
Top Instructor for Arcade Driving School (8 years), School Bus Driver
Michigan Health Care Provider, Adult Foster Home Manager
Activities: Golf exhibitions at age 7 & 17 with Touring PGA Professionals
(Marline & Alice Bauer, Muriel & Haggie Linstrom)
City Girls Jr. Champ: 13&under(age 10), 15&under(age 11), 18&under(age 12)
Racine County Woman's Champion (age 14)
Wisconsin Amateur Champion (age 21) Milwaukee County Champion (age 27
Waukesha County Woman's Champion (ages 27-28)
Winner of Competitions in Hair Styling
Interior decoration, antique collecting, cultivating flowers, animal care, music
Phone: 414-587-1619
Address: (Contact Matt)

NANCY LANDES
Born: 5-2-1948
Vocation: Family Counseling, Senior Status at Layton Art School in Milwaukee
Asked to work at the Rice Memorial Clinic
Activities: Artist (drawing), pianist, walking, drama
Phone: (contact MaryAnn)
Address: 6th & Wisconsin Ave. Racine, WI 53402

NANCY'S CHILD
CHRISTEN
Born: 4-22-73
Vocation: Attending Art School in Milwaukee
Activities: Writer, artist, editor of school newspaper
Phone:

Address: Plans to go to San Francisco to attend school
Original Art Work by Nancy - Family Crest

THE KATHRYN BENCRISCUTTO
FAMILY

KATHRYN CLAIRE ROSE
Born: 8-8-1953
Vocation: USS Swimming Coach, 25 years Swimming Instructor WSI Certified,
UW-Parkside - Graduated 1997 Science & Drama Assistant at Horlick High School, Point West Aquatics Director
Set Design for "Fences" a play performed at Horlick
Activities: Swimming, set design, technical & production assistant, artistic director, choreography, aerobics, golf, sewing, poetry, crafts
Phone: 414-554-7324
Address: 5225 Biscayne Racine, WI 53402


This picture was taken in 2014 and seemed to be a sign that my father's spirit was near!

KATHRYN'S CHILDREN

AUDREY (AUDREYANNA MARTHA)
Born: 7-26-79
Vocational: Technical School with aspirations to attend law school
Activities: Swimming, Art painting and sculpture, music
Phone: 262-598-9366
Address: 5225 Biscayne Racine, WI 53402

JONATHAN JAMES
Born: 12-26-83
Vocation: Attending school, President's Academic Achievement Award 1995
Activities: Track, skatebording, swimming, basketball, skiing, Sportsmanship Award, SEAY State Swimming, #10 Finisher, lead pitcher on baseball team, County Golf Championship 1995, Runner up Boy’s City 1997
Phone: 262-598-9366
Address: 5225 Biscayne Racine, WI 53402

LAURA LEE BENCRISCUTTO
&
PAUL BIROU FAMILY

LAURA
Born: 2-17-1956
Vocation: Dental Hygienist, Appeared in Feature Film entitled "Tin Cup"
Activities: Golf, acting,
Phone: 602-722-2057
Address: (contact Matt) Tucson, AZ 85730

PAUL BIROU
Born: 2-28-54
Vocation: Home Construction, Degree in Computer Science (Valedictorian)
Activities: Golf, cooking,
Phone: 602-722-2057
Address: (contact Matt) Tucson, AZ 85730

LAURA'S CHILD
ASHLEY ANN MENTON
Born: 12-24-1988
Vocation: Attending school
Activities: Artistic, playing golf
Phone: 602-722-2057
Address: (contact Matt) Tucson, AZ 85730

THE MATTHEW BENCRISCUTTO &
DEANA LOFQUIST FAMILY

MATT
Born: 5--7-1963
Vocation: Administrator of 3 public golf courses in Racine, Wisconsin
Activities: Weight training, physical fitness,
Phone: 262-637-5252
Address: 6200 Northwestern Avenue Racine, WI 53406

DEANA
Born: 6-20-1965
Vocation: Homemaker, Assists Matt managing Johnson's Park
Activities: Homemaking projects, Golf, Interior Design
Phone: 262-637-5252
Address: 6200 Northwestern Avenue Racine, WI 53406

MATT AND DEANA'S CHILDREN

LAUREN OLIVIA
Born: 9-22-1989
Vocation: Attending school
Activities: Gymnastics, fitness training
Phone: 262-637-5252
Address: 6200 Northwestern Avenue Racine, WI 53406

ALEXANDRA
Born: 12-5-1990
Activities: Coloring, artist
Phone: 262-637-5252
Address: 6200 Northwestern Avenue Racine, WI 53406

NATALIE ANN
Born: 2-17-1994
Activities: Dancing
Phone: 262-637-5252
Address: 6200 Northwestern Avenue Racine, WI 53406

Copy from a Racine Journal Times article on Mike Bencriscutto submitted by Kathy Bencriscutto.
by Gary D'Amato

One way to look at the honor bestowed upon Racine's Mike Bencriscutto by Golf Digest magazine is recognition for a lifelong devotion to junior golf. But that's not the way Mike Bencriscutto looks at it.
"To tell the truth," Bencriscutto said, "if I was going to do what I do for recognition, I probably wouldn't.  I do it because of my personal feelings for the game."

What Bencriscutto does, and does with a passion, is promote junior golf.  In 1974, when there were few quality junior golf tournaments in the state, Bencriscutto launched the Wisconsin Junior Masters.
The tournament, played annually at the Herbert F. Johnson Park Golf Course -- one of three Bencriscutto leases from the city -- attracts 220 players from throughout the state and is regarded as one of the best of its kind anywhere.

Because of his contributions to junior golf, Mike was named by Golf Digest the Individual Winner in the magazine's fourth annual Junior Development Awards.  The story appears in the May issue.
Golf Digest gives awards in five categories:  individual, club, association, city, and corporation.  "I'm amazed how man people subscribe to Golf Digest," Mike said with a laugh.  "It seems like 10 or 15 people comment on the article every day.  "The people seem to appreciate it in this area.  I think it's a good thing for junior golf in Racine."

The 66-year-old Bencriscutto is considered a junior golf guru of sorts.  Once a top-notch competitor -- he is a member of the Wisconsin State Golf Association's Hall of Fame -- he now is regarded as one of the finest teaching professionals in the Midwest.  He's given lessons to virtually thousands of juniors.
It is a tribute to Mike that many of the state's top players took lessons from him, at one time or another.  His philosophy is a simple one.

"I tell the kids that they're only as good as they are exact.  If you're 50 percent exact, then that's what kind of golfer you'll be.  It's just like school.  If you're 75 percent exact, that's a passing grade.  If you're 95 percent exact, you'll be a darned good player."

In an appropriate gesture, Golf Digest will present the award to Mike at the traditional Junior Masters dinner this summer.  Meanwhile, he'll continue to do what he does best: teach golf. Mike and his son, Matt, plan to put on several junior golf clinics this year, and both will give free instructions to the public at least one night per week at the Johnson Park driving range.  "I think I'll teach the rest of my life," Mike said.  "I don't think I'll ever stop."

Golf can be thankful for that.