One
of the true "good guys" in the bridge world has left us with the death of Dick
Benson, 68, on January 22, 2010.
One
of the true "good guys" in the bridge world has left us with the death of Dick
Benson, 68, on January 22, 2010.
Dick grew up in Rockford IL and spent 30 years as a counselor in the Milwaukee WI public schools. When he retired, he and wife Chris moved to her hometown of Leroy IL, near Bloomington. Dick loved the small-town life and became an active supporter of the community and the local schools' sports teams.
Dick was an expert bridge player with a career total of almost 12,750 masterpoints, which made him #247 on ACBL's list of top masterpoint holders. His bridge accomplishments were many, but he was proudest of those of his family -- wife Chris, who earned the rank of Grand Life Master; daughter Martha Katz, a world Junior champion; and son-in-law Ralph Katz, a many-time national champion who won the Bermuda Bowl world championship for the USA in 2009. Dick was especially thrilled to partner his grandson, Sam Katz, when he made Life Master.
That same "you-first" attitude was seen in Dick's interactions with friends, bridge partners and opponents. He was always generous with compliments and support, and had a knack for making people feel good about themselves. One of the few ways to get Dick to talk about something other than your interests was to mention baseball, football, basketball or just about any other sport. He was an ardent fan of college and professional teams and had an amazing memory for statistics and other sports trivia.
The next bridge tournament just won't be the same without Dick in attendance. We'll miss his sense of humor and big laugh, the shared commiseration about the Cubs, the funny stories about the hands he played ... but we won't forget them or him.