ELECTIONS FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL BE HELD JUNE 1-15

As Unit 154 enters its second year of democratic, Unit-wide elections, the single most important aspect is that the elections only work when the members fully participate. This year, 2016, the clubs in Angola, Marion, Warsaw, South Bend/Mishawaka, Long Beach, Michigan City, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Portage, Gary, and Highland will be electing a total of eight members to the Unit Board. The club managers of all the clubs listed above have all the necessary materials and forms in their hands for every member of the Unit to participate.

Be a candidate! You can nominate yourself. It’s easy: fill out the form in 15 seconds and email it in. Be a voter! Register at your favorite club by May 15 and you are ready to vote in the June elections. You registered last year?  GREAT!!!  Then you are already ready to vote. You don’t have to register again. All materials, forms and instructions are available on the unit website:  www.unit154.org

   P A R T I C I P A T E !!!

Gilbert Fox - A Notre Dame Fan for All of His 90 Years! 

On March 22nd the South Bend Bridge Club honored Gilbert Fox on the occasion of his 90th Birthday! 

The membership presented Gil with a book featuring golf courses around the word (Gil’s other passion besides Notre Dame & bridge). You will always know where he is just by looking in the parking lot and seeing his ND decorated van.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIL! 
 

A FRIEND WHO WILL BE MISSED 

JOHN AUMILLER of Fort Wayne passed away on Sunday, March 6, 2016. 

It is believed that shortly after taking his last earthly breath John was seated at the bridge table of eternity bidding “one spade”. Of course, everyone who knew John was aware that “one spade” meant either he had a spade suit or the opponents had a spade suit. One had to wait until the dummy came down to determine which side had the spade suit.

John was a man of many talents. He was a barber by profession and a competitor by nature. For many years, he trimmed heads during the day and knocked down pins or accumulated masterpoints at night. John was a champion bowler, a dedicated fisherman, and a masterful bridge player as his accumulation of 9,984 masterpoints attests. He was very proud of the fact that he earned those points the ‘right way’, without the benefit of buying professional partners. At the bridge table John would look you in the eye and then beat your brains out using good, old-fashioned common sense and a dearth of systems or conventions.

Although he was a tough competitor, John was always willing to instruct and tutor an up-and-coming bridge player. After cancer took his voice box, John, at the bridge club, could be heard many tables away instructing partner and opponent alike in the proper way to bid or play a particular hand.

John will be missed by his wife, Kady, his 4 children, his 10 grandchildren, his 11 great-grandchildren, and his bridge partners and opponents that through the decades have numbered in the thousands.

RISING IN THE RANKS

Junior Master -- Gloria Bates, South Bend; Jo Holm, Fort Wayne; Sharon Massey, Portage

Club Master -- Barbara Gasser, Huntertown;  Vicki Windmiller, Hobart

Sectional Master -- Robert Lill Jr.,  Fort Wayne;  Allen Pinkham, Fort Wayne

Regional Master -- Camille Cooper, Kokomo; Iris Mensing Goerner, South Bend; Brian Lanier, Fremont; Holly Skekloff, Fort Wayne

LIFE MASTER  -- Lynn M Miller, South Bend

Lynn grew up in Vincennes and started playing bridge at IU on the floor of the dorm, and admits that she probably played more than she should have. However, she graduated, moved to Elkhart and went to Notre Dame Law School. She practiced law in Elkhart for almost 30 years. She was a widow when she met John Hamilton in 1998 and he brought her to the bridge center where she played a few times. After playing against Bob and Opal, who she said could not have been nicer, she went down four and ended up in the parking lot in tears. Lynn didn't play again for almost 10 years.

John and Lynn got married in 2006, and he talked her into trying duplicate bridge again. She joined the ACBL and they started going to tournaments, attending 3 Nationals, and many Regionals, including Orlando, Kingston (3 times), Bermuda, Sarasota, Ft. Wayne, and Cincinnati where she earned enough gold points on a team with Chris Grande and Chris Habegger to satisfy the requirements for life master. She still needed about 100 anything points which she says she has had to whittle away at a fraction at a time. The last bit came in a Friday night couples game at their country club in Florida where they play regularly.

“I give all the credit to my husband who has been a wonderful teacher and supporter and without whom I never would have even aspired to become a Life Master, much less accomplish it. I enjoy the game and the people and look forward to playing for a lot of years.”

RUBY LIFE MASTER -- Barbara Walczak, Munster

DIAMOND LIFE MASTER -- Elaine Delaney, South Bend

Elaine was born and grew up in Detroit, MI where she met Tim DeLaney. They were married in l968. Tim introduced Elaine to bridge and it soon became a lifetime enjoyment for both of them. While raising their two boys, they pursued the goal of Life Master, playing together and with others. Since that first plateau was reached in the late l970's, it has been a happy journey to reach 5,000 points.

Elaine and Tim played bridge in MI, TX, CA, IL and for over 20 years in South Bend IN after moving here in 1991. South Bend provided lots of opportunity to play and also the opportunity for Elaine to share her love of bridge by teaching it to others at the Bridge Center. Since beginning Easy Bridge in 2001, she has taught continuously at the Bridge Center-- giving both beginner and intermediate lessons. She has had the satisfaction of seeing students begin playing duplicate in limited games and then progress into the open games. And some have pursued the goal of life Master and beyond.

The Bridge Center is a busy place with lots of job openings and Elaine has worked as a Game Director, Club Manager, Board of Director member, mentor, and partnership chairperson. Elaine has said that it has been both a pleasure and challenge for her to be so involved with bridge over these many years. And she is very grateful to Tim, who passed away in December 2014, for that introduction to bridge back in 1968.

CONGRATULATIONS, ELAINE!

70% + GAMES

Wayne Carpenter, Chesterton & Laverne Niksch, Portage;  70.37%  1/25

Chris Habegger, Bristol & Chris Grande, Mishawaka;  71.59%   2/1

Donald Ferguson & Rose Ferguson, Fort Wayne;  73.21  2/2

Chris Habegger, Bristol & Bud Hinckley, South Bend;  72.92%   2/4

Ken Koorsen, Fort Wayne & Joe Shull, New Haven;  71.13%   2/6

Howard Chapman & Judith Nelsen, Fort Wayne;  70.33%   2/17

Mary Lou Clegg & Michael Clegg, Fort Wayne;  70.00%   2/27 

Lee Baatz, Columbia City & James Voelz, Fort Wayne;  74.11   3/9

Steve Watson, Schererville & Joe Chin, Highland;  70.60%  3/14

Tom Carpenter & Jim Kart, Fort Wayne;  71.43%  3/22   

Jane Shultz & James Kart, Fort Wayne;  70.90%  3/23

Bonnie King & Suzanne Wright, Kokomo;  76%  3/24