70% + GAMES
Kathy Klaer, Mishawaka and Kathleen Nagy, South Bend (49er game) — 70.83% September 28
Marci and Keith Meyer, Long Beach — 71.96% October 3
Merrill and Jan Crull, Granger (49er game) — 70.14% October 5
David Hoevel, Fort Wayne and Richard Bredemeyer, Fort Wayne — 75.00% October 11
Joseph Kohne, Fort Wayne and Anne Rosen, Fort Wayne — 70.83% October 11
Elaine Delaney, South Bend and Frank Yoder, Goshen — 76.21% October 12
Jim O’Connell, Valparaiso and Bob Kellstrom, Chesterton — 70.83% October 20
Dennis David, South Bend and Dick Willson, South Bend (199er game) — 74.07% October 24
Donna Beach, Valparaiso (individual 49er game) — 78.57% October 29
John and Tricia Killeen, Mishawaka — 71.63% October 31
Madge Kollar, Chesterton and Sharon Snyder, Dune Acres (49er game) —71.88% November 12
Dennis David, South Bend and Dick Willson, South Bend (199er game) — 70.24% November 21
Elnora Washington, Gary and Delphine Slater, Gary (49er game) — 70.00% November 26
Jim Feinstein, South Bend and Dick Hastings, Bristol — 71.53% November 27
Norm Filipiak, Michigan City and Dan Cunningham, LaPorte — 81.00% November 28
MERRILLVILLE SECTIONAL — OCTOBER 14 - 16
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 Pat Valiska, Highland & Lynne Kostopoulos, Lansing — Friday evening pairs |
 Trudi McKamey, Ogden Dunes & Yuan Hsu, Hammond — Saturday evening pairs |
 Don & Alice Giedemann, Valparaiso — Friday afternoon 299er |
 Effie Hanes, Dyer & Ruth Robertson, Highland — Saturday afternoon 299er |
 Chuck Briggs, Hobart and Dave Bigler, Hobart — Saturday afternoon pair |
Al Simmons, Chicago; Claude Weil, Chicago; Joe Chin, Highland;
Jim O’Connell, Valparaiso (not pictured) — Sunday Swiss Team
IN MEMORIAM
Paul Graegin passed away on October 23, 2011. He and his
wife, Barbara, were synonymous with bridge-playing at its best. It was a good
partnership. Barbara said they had a lot of fun together. They met at a bridge
game, and their first date was as partners at a bridge game (in which they
placed first). Paul was a Silver Life Master.
Paul was a good, kind man. He knew the meanings of the words sacrifice and service, respect and responsibility, care and compassion, love and loyalty. And above all he knew what is was to be generous — with his love, his talents, his gifts, his wisdom. He gave selflessly to others — family, friends, employees, neighbors, and strangers his entire life. Recently Paul commented that he had no regrets. He built a lasting business, saw the world, was a lifelong learner, loved deeply, and raised wonderful children.
There’s an emptiness at table 1 that bespeaks a sadness. We wish Barbara well as she continues on without her partner of 50 years.
The South Bend bridge players were saddened to learn of the
passing of Marie Goldner, 95, on September 20, 2011.
Marie learned to
play bridge before the ACBL was even created in 1937 and became a Gold Life
Master while a member of the SBBC. She gave many opponents a challenge at the
bridge table, and the players will miss her warm eyes and her smile.
Dolores Keller had been playing at the Northwest Indiana
clubs for about three years. She truly was an asset to our group — always
wearing a smile, never ever a discouraging word uttered, a person you were happy
to have as a partner.
Dolores was a part-time piano teacher at Valparaiso University until two months before her death on November 5, 2011. She was also a cello player.
Her very good friend, Trudi McKamey, writes:
"I met Dolores a few
years ago in our Bridge-O-Rama and noticed how well she bid and played. When I
asked her to be my partner in a duplicate game, she accepted. This was typical
of Dolores — not afraid to try something new. I think we helped each other, and
it was so much fun just to improve our game. I admired her intelligence, and it was just
great to be with a person so full of life and with such a positive attitude."
RISING IN THE RANKINGS
Junior Master: Nancy Conison, Valparaiso; Mary Ennes, Valparaiso; Marc Kaminsky, Fort Wayne; Tom Wisniewski, South Bend; Melva Freeman, Granger; Janeile Ternet, Fort Wayne; and Ann Ullman, Granger
Club Master: Mary Jaicomo, South Bend
Sectional Master: Michael Heimann, North Webster; Carolyn Potasnik, Munster; and Philip Sheridan, Long Beach
NABC Master: Judy Grambo, Schererville; and Tim Carl, Elkhart
Life Master: Roger Lash, Angola; and Chester Pinkham, Angola
Silver Life Master: Dave Bigler, Hobart
Gold Life Master: Steven Watson, Munster; and Daniel Simon, South Bend
Diamond Life Master: James Feinstein, South Bend; Irene Singleton, South Bend
DIAMOND LIFE MASTERS
Irene Singleton grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, where card playing was a favorite pastime in her family. However, it was not until she came to the USA that she was introduced to duplicate bridge, which became a lifelong passion.
Ren says, “I feel blessed to have reached this plateau in my
bridge career, and I have had some great partners who helped me reach this goal.
It is, after all, a partnership game. If you enjoy this wonderful game we call
bridge, it is not the points you win in any session, but how well or how poorly
you feel you’ve played. There is such excitement in knowing you made the right
call or made that perfect lead, as well as the determination to improve when you
fail.”
Jim Feinstein is the second player from South Bend who
became a Diamond Life Master in October. He played rubber bridge for many years
and did not join the ACBL until 1985. His successes have come from sectional,
regional, and national events. When he lived in Columbus, Ohio, he won four free
trips to national tournaments as a district winner in the NAOP pairs events.
Jim’s portfolio includes several Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs awards. He has played with more than 200 partners over the years and would like to thank all of them — (too many to list here). He does single out Lena Howard, about whom he says, “When our ‘A’ game is ‘on’, we are unbeatable by anyone in the world.”
Jim expressed it best by adding, “I would like to acknowledge
all of the local bridge clubs and the people who work so hard to make them
pleasant places to play. Without these clubs it would not have been possible for
me to accumulate the masterpoints necessary to achieve the goal of Diamond Life
Master.”
GOLD LIFE MASTER
Steve Watson learned to play bridge as a sophomore in high school from a friend’s father. His play continued in college, where he would frequently play in contract games that would extend into the early morning hours. In his first duplicate game after his sophomore year, he actually came in first overall in a club championship. (100% luck!)
In 1971 in Muncie he played once a week in an evening club game and, periodically, in a game at the then nationally-known Blackwood Bridge Center in Indianapolis that was owned and operated by the Easley Blackwood of four no-trump fame.
Since retiring in July of 2007, Steve has expanded his bridge schedule to include three local daytime games per week, an occasional evening game, plus more tournaments. “Credit for any success I have experienced at the table must go to the outstanding partners who have sat across from me at the table while lending me their patience,
friendship, and encouragement in addition to their technical expertise — including Howie Schmid (who has served as my partner as well as my bridge mentor since 1979), George Goewey, Lou Nimnicht, Joe Chin, John Chmielowiec, Mike Hawkins (a childhood friend of mine from Indianapolis who died in 2006), and Wesley Adamczyk — a Diamond Life Master who formerly resided in the Region and who moved several years ago to Deerfield, Illinois.”
SILVER LIFE MASTER
Dave Bigler comments that “This game is all about people and their judgments. Just open a traveler or listen to the ‘idle conversation’. When I open the door and walk into a bridge game, there are friendly faces everywhere.
“Chuck Briggs gave me the opportunity to help him get his Life Master status. In return, Chuck never wavered in helping me reach that level. He allowed me time to make my mistakes and disagree, because he knew I would continue to evaluate and find the right conclusions for our partnership. We have many fine teachers to learn from, because they are willing to discuss a hand at the table or at day’s end when information is timely. Wayne Carpenter and Laverne Niksch had no fear. After the first round at the Chicago NABC (2006), they told me, ‘Just keep bidding games until we tell you to stop.’ They are excellent friends, partners, and bridge players.
“Thanks to Jim O’Connell for the opportunity to play so many games locally. You can’t make 3NT sitting in the parking lot. Thanks to my many partners and opponents. They have all given me something unique. A special thanks to Cathy Mason who, not only was my first duplicate partner, but also is my second ‘MOM’.”
Dolores Gerdes says it well, “What a pleasure it was to be your partner the day you achieved your goal of Silver Life Master! You have been a good mentor for me, challenging me to think of all the possibilities when playing a hand. Yes, you also impressed upon me the value of the “green card” rather than a poor overcall. Always a gentleman — you are truly a great bridge partner.”
BRONZE LIFE MASTER
Laverne Niksch of Portage has earned over 500 masterpoints and is now a Bronze Life Master. He began playing duplicate bridge in the days when a win was worth about 0.20 points and you had to mail in the points.
Wayne Carpenter, Laverne’s cousin and favorite partner, writes:
“Laverne, I remember so many years ago when we used to play bridge at I.U.
(which of course was more fun than going to classes) and, of course, playing
with friends at home games. That was fun, but the real fun came when we started
playing duplicate bridge in Portage and Gary. A lot of that fun came from
playing Swiss Team games with Dave Bigler and Chuck Briggs. If it weren't for
those two, we both would still be working on our Bronze Life Masters. I remember
at one of those Swiss games where you, as South, opened 2C. West bid 4C, I bid
4D (a key card) and you bid 6D!! Now you like to call me a 'cowboy' sometimes,
but you have to admit that it is fun! Yes, I did make 6D —nice bid!
Congratulations on obtaining your Bronze Life Master! It is well deserved for
being a great player and partner."
NEW BRIDGE HOME
On December 1st, the Fort Wayne Duplicate Bridge Club moved to a new location. The new address of the Fort Wayne Bridge Center is 4618 East State, Suite 101, Fort Wayne, IN, 46815. Their new phone number is 260-373-0422.
The Fort Wayne Club is having its Christmas party on Saturday, December 10 at 11:30 am. Everyone is welcome
