Unit 223 Reporter

News from Southern Illinois-Paducah Unit 223

Editor:  Karen Coe,  12761 Webb Hill Rd.,  Ewing IL  62836   
 (618-435-4200)   finesse002002@yahoo.com  

Robert (Bob) Giles -- 12-25-1920 to 2-11-2008

Diamond Life Master Bob Giles of Marion IL died on February 11, 2008 at Shawnee Christian Nursing home, Herrin IL. The first and only Diamond Life Master Southern Illinois / Paducah Unit 223 has produced, Bob was arguably for many years the finest bridge player in the Unit. At the time of his death, Bob had acquired approximately 6000 masterpoints (5000 masterpoints and at least one regional championship are required to attain the rank of Diamond Life Master).

In addition to accomplishments at the bridge table too numerous to list, Bob was a mainstay of the local bridge community. A past member for of Unit 223 Board of Directors, Bob was currently serving as a club director at Carbondale (IL) DBC, and had directed at Herrin (IL) DBC when that club was in operation. He was a fine and knowledgeable club director.

Bob was notable also for his support of newcomers to the bridge world and, for many years, served as a bridge teacher in his hometown of Marion IL, introducing many newcomers and experienced players to the finer points of bridge. In recognition of his many contributions, Bob was awarded the Unit Goodwill Award in 2000, and he was the recipient of the Jo Echols Award in 2005, honoring his efforts in furthering bridge-education in our Unit.

Bob will be missed by his many friends and admirers as well his brother, Life Master Jack Giles, who also recently passed away.

2007 Masterpoint Races

Congratulations to the winners of Unit 223’s 2007 masterpoint races. Winners, who attended the Sectional Tournament at Kentucky Dam Village last month, were presented their awards in person. Awards are being distributed by hand at club level and by mail to those who were not able to attend the tournament.
    To see a list of the top ten players in each category, visit www.acbl.org.  Scroll to the bottom of the home page and under “Member Achievements” click on “Masterpoint Races”.  On the next screen, enter 2007 and Unit 223.

 

Mini-McKenney  (total points won in 2007):

0 to 5 Masterpoints:

   Susan Pensoneau (Collinsville, IL)                

5 to 20 Masterpoints:

   Lynda Fish (Belleville, IL)                            

20 to 50 Masterpoints:

   Eric Bizzell (Beecher City, IL)                      

50 to 100 Masterpoints:

   Jill Woolf (Carbondale, IL)                            

100 to 200 Masterpoints:

  Teryl Francis (Glen Carbon, IL)                    

200 to 300 Masterpoints:

   Darota Jarosz (Edwardsville, IL)                   

300 to 500 Masterpoints:

   Carol Warner (Fairview Hgts, IL)                 

500 to 1000 Masterpoints:

   Doug McQuaid (Lebanon, IL)                        

1000 to 2500 Masterpoints:

   Ralph Rotter (Granite City, IL)                      

2500 to 5000 Masterpoints:

   Dalton Darnell (Murray, KY)                        

5000 to 7500 Masterpoints:

   Bob Giles (Marion IL)

Ace of Clubs (for points accumulated at Club Level)

 

Susan Pensoneau (Collinsville, IL)

 

 Marilyn Storch (Herrin, IL)

 

 Bob Biarkis (Glen Carbon, IL)

 

 Steve Schoeffler (Edwardsville, IL)

 

 Charles Clark (Edwardsville, IL)

 

 Darota Jarosz (Edwardsville, IL)

 

 Carol Warner (Fairview Hgts, IL)

 

 Jane Baker (Paducah, KY)

 

Ralph Rotter (Granite City, IL)

 

Julia Rambo (Mayfield, KY)

Bob Giles (Marion, IL)

The following players were “double winners”, taking first in both the Mini-McKenney and the Ace of Clubs:  Susan Pensoneau, Darota Jarosz, Carol Warner, Ralph Rotter, and Bob Giles. Well done! A special congratulations to Ralph Rotter, who was the “winningest” player in the Unit in 2007, with a grand total of 286.34 masterpoints. He placed fifth in the District 8-wide Mini McKenney with that total.

By the way, you can keep track of who's leading the 2008 Masterpoint Races month by month by visiting the “Masterpoint Races” screen at www.acbl.org.  And, in case you were wondering, the category in which you compete is assigned by the number of points you possessed on January 1st, 2008.

Advancements in Rank

The following Unit 223 Players have advanced in rank:

New Junior Masters:
   Barbara Cavalieri (St Elmo, IL)
   Mary Lattan (Carlinville, IL)
   Linda Spencer (Fairview Hgts, IL)

New Club Master:
   Brandy Fish (Belleville, IL)

New Regional Masters:
   Dan Kirwin (Mt Vernon, IL)
   Jill Woolf (Carbondale, IL)

The newest Life Masters in Unit 223 are:
   Raymond Ford (Highland, IL)
   Mrs. D Ramage (Paducah, KY)

New Bronze Life Master:
   Dean Stow (Paducah, KY)

New Silver Life Masters:
   Villa Aschenbrenner (Ledbetter, KY)
   Paul Quayle (Gilbertsville, KY)

Unit Census

On March 1, 2008, Unit 223 had a total of 377 members.  The categories were:

   Rookie (0-5 masterpoints) 41 members

   Jr Master (5+) 24

   Club Master (20+) 41

   Sectional Master (50+) 37

   Regional Master (100+) 49

   NABC Master (200+) 29

   Life Master – 29

   Bronze Life Master – 62

   Silver Life Master - 58

   Gold Life Master – 7

Pioneer Sectional

The next Unit 223 Sectional will be the Pioneer Sectional Tournament, April 26 & 27 at Hendelmeyer Park, 1906 S Fourth, Effingham IL.

Play will commence at 1:00 on Saturday, with a second session at 7:00. Swiss Teams will commence on Sunday at 10:30. Events will be offered on both days for 99er players if attendance warrants. A full schedule is in this issue of the Advocate.

Information: Kate Dickens, Tournament Chair – (217) 868-5462. Phone number at the Park is (217) 342-4415.