Pair Fare

 News from Northwestern Illinois Unit 239

Editor:  Dennis Ryan, 118 Glenview Court, Janesville WI  53545      drchezmoi@aol.com 


Major changes in knockout schedule for the "Rockin' Rockford Regional"

Major changes in the schedule of knockout events for the "Rockin' Rockford Regional," scheduled for June 18 - 24, have just been announced. If you are booked for knockout team events for this tournament, please double check the schedule with your team mates.

The tournament's four 4-session KO events begin Monday at 7 pm (continues Tuesday morning, aft. & eve.), Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. (four morning sessions), Wednesday at 2 pm (continues Wed. eve. and Thu. aft. & eve.) and Friday at 2 pm (continues Fri. eve. and Sat. aft. & eve.).

"We regret having to make such substantial changes to the schedule so late in the day," says Unit President Karl Dencker, "but unfortunately, it was necessary to make them. We beg your indulgence and thank you for your patience."

ACBL and District 8 Presidents to Visit Rockford Regional

ACBL President Sharon Fairchild will visit the "Rockin' Rockford Regional" Thursday (June 21) through Sunday (June 24.) She will be playing with Bob Carteaux of Ft. Wayne IN, who is president of District 8. Georgia Heth, District 8's representative to the ACBL Board of Governors, will also attend the tournament for several days.

Fairchild will be hosting Unit 239 officials at dinner at Lino's restaurant on Friday evening. In return, the Unit is hosting a continental breakfast for her on Sunday from 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. in the hospitality suite, room 1702 (this is the same room as last year.) All participants in Sunday's Swiss team event are invited to attend.

Players are reminded that the Sunday Swiss starts at 10 a.m., just as it did last year. Free box lunches will be provided to all participants during a break.

Upcoming Area Tournaments

Rockin' Rockford Regional, Clock Tower Resort, 7801 East State St., Rockford -- June 18-24.

299'er Elgin Silver Sectional, Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin -- August 3-5.

Rockford Classic Sectional, Clock Tower Resort, 7801 East State St., Rockford -- September 7-9.

Turkey Bowl Sectional, Prisco Community Center, Rte. 31 and Illinois Ave., Aurora -- November 23-25.

Ed Kain: Life Master

Ed Kain of Sun City in Huntley is one of Unit 239's newest Life Masters. Ed earned his gold card playing in a Lake Geneva regional team event with Tom Hardy (Huntley,) Pat Haverty (Woodstock,) and Frank Greenwald (Woodstock.) (Columnist's note: this was all in April, 2006. But Ed is a "snowbird" who had fled to the sunny south for the winter by the time your columnist could catch up with him last fall. Thus, Ed has had to wait for over a year to be honored in these pages for his achievement.)

Ed began playing bridge in college and began duplicate in the 1950's in Crystal Lake. "That was all eons ago," says Ed, laughing. "I have a hard enough time remembering what is trumps for an entire hand without digging up the start of my bridge career from 50 years ago."

Ed was born and raised in Oak Park, but attended high school in Ft. Lauderdale FL. He went on to Holy Cross College in Worcester MA, and then to law school at De Paul in Chicago. "I practiced law for a short time in Crystal Lake," he confesses, "but I had more children than clients; so it seemed practical to find something else to do." The "something else" was becoming the credit manager of Oak Industries there.

His six children with his late wife Marjorie include: Edward, a retired auditor with Edison in LaVerne CA; Charles, who works with Edward Jones Brokerage in West Frankfort IL; Barbara, who lives in Crystal Lake but works for the James Rodin Picture Framing Gallery in Richfield IL; Mary, a housewife in Batavia; Karen, who runs a B&B in St. John, Virgin Islands; and his late son John, who died a few years ago. Marjorie was also a bridge player, and many "old timers" in our Unit will fondly remember her.

"I still play bridge twice a week at the age of 83," asserts Ed. "That's a testament to either my endurance or my stupidity, I'm not sure which. But I love the game and respect the players. After all, fun is what bridge is all about."

The Changing Scene . . .

New Junior Masters: Linda Brubaker, Geneva; Fredrick Harms, Geneva; Timothy Kleimeyer, Sleepy Hollow; Fred Pfeiffer, Apple River; Geraldine Regez, Freeport.

New Club Masters: Karen Anderson, Batavia; Sybil Brown, Rockford; Mary Lindberg, Rockford.

New Sectional Masters: Naomi Cartwright, Huntley; Lewis Kelley, Rockford; Robert Quintin, St. Charles; Barbara Worden, Rockford.

New Regional Masters: B. Busche, St. Charles; Donna Cart, Rockford.

New NABC Masters: Rajahneen Dencker, Lake in the Hills.

New Bronze Life Masters: Kathy Owens, Loves Park.

New Silver Life Masters: Mabel McMahon, Rockford; Phyllis Schmitt, Rockford.

New Emerald Life Masters: Joshua Stark, Grayslake.

As I See It . . .

When I was 14, trying to coax whichever parent seemed more pliable into attending duplicate bridge games with me twice a week on school nights, I always had one over-riding superstition: I never sat West, because that was where "the son sank slowly."

I have been doing this "columnist thing" for the Advocate for seven years now, profiling new Life Masters and pounding the pavement for what few items of general interest our hardly-on-the-cutting-edge-of-the-news Unit tends to generate. I've watched the Advocate grow from a Bridge Bulletin insert to a full-fledged online magazine that actually has room to allow its Unit correspondents to inform Unit members of what's going on and give them a true sense of "bridge community."

But I've been sitting West at this particular table for too long. The "son" is slowly sinking. It's time for me to retire. Besides, you folks all need a breath of fresh air.

When I first took over Pair Fare from Gena Hartlieb (Rockford), I was scared to death. I saw the job as an enormous responsibility, and I feared letting people down. And you know what? I hope that my replacement, my friend Roger Dieringer of Elgin, is scared to death, too: it's a wonderful way to keep one's perspective in this job. (Besides, misery loves company.) But Roger's going to do a great job!

So I extend my thanks to each and every one of you, for your support, your encouragement, and your loyalty over the years. And special thanks must go to our Advocate editor Karen Walker (whose editorial discretion has kept my exposed behind from flapping in the breeze more than once) and to all the wonderful Unit 239 Presidents who have tolerated my nonsense: Bob Korte (Woodstock), John Pree (St. Charles), and Karl Dencker (Lake in the Hills). I really have enjoyed this job.

That's all, folks! Isn't that the way cartoons are supposed to end?