70% + GAMES
Dick Hastings, Bristol and Lena Howard, Elkhart — 72.32% March 12
Myra Anthony, Granger and Irene Cooperrider, Elkhart (299er game) — 70.83% March 17
John Teshima, Trail Creek and Chuck Schultz, LaPorte — 71.21% April 7
Carol Osgerby, Dyer and Don Valiska, Highland — 70.58% April 14
Paul and Wini Morsches, Columbia City (299er game) —72.32% April 16
Mary Adams, South Bend and Martie Black, Granger (299er game) — 71.88% April 23
Donna Beach, Valparaiso and Beth Rader, Valparaiso (99er game) — 71.48% April 26
Tim DeLaney, South Bend and Bud Hinckley, South Bend — 72.32% April 29
Mary Schumm, Munster and Barbara Walczak, Munster — 70.14% May 20
Joe Frederick, Beaver Dam and Lila O’Connell, Pierceton —70.64% May 20
Rick Helm, Warsaw and Jim White, Warsaw — 77.00% May 27
RISING IN THE RANKINGS
Junior Masters: Mary Kocevar, Hobart; Philip Eyermann, Churubusco; Carolyn Lahrman, Fort Wayne
Club Masters: Verne Lee, Valparaiso; Robert Currey, Granger; Jim Lively, Highland; June Stealy, Warsaw
Sectional Masters: Loren Jackemeyer, Fremont; Mary Ennes, Valparaiso; Daryl Fraley, Crown Point
Regional Masters: Alta Allen, Gary; Myra Anthony, Granger; Jim Fill, Dyer
NABC Masters: Michael Heimann, Warsaw; Robert Grant, Fort Wayne
Life Master: Steve Harvey, Decatur
Bronze Life Masters: Lynn Bayman, Valparaiso; James Kart, Fort Wayne; John Kohne, Fort Wayne; Sally Landrum, Marion
Gold Life Masters: Louis Nimnicht, Crown Point; Suzanne Watson, South Bend
GOLD LIFE MASTERS
Lou
Nimnicht, of Crown Point, became a Gold Life Master on April 16, 2014. He
comments:
"Having wondered four years ago if I would ever get the gold points to
become a Life Master at all, beautiful gold status is surreal — to say the
least. I’m thankful to all my partners from the past 35 years and to the
directors at SSBC and the Indiana games for their labor of love. Special thanks
to Doctor Steve (Watson) for helping to elevate my game to a new level."
Following are excerpts from of few of Lou’s partners regarding this momentous occasion —
One reason for Lou's success is his methodical approach to the game. His convention card is strictly adhered to, much like the US constitution. For Lou's partners that consider the card only a bidding guide, to be disregarded for inspiration or opportunism, you will likely hear commentary or rebuke. This can range from an eye roll, to an evaluation of your mental status. This can put a strain on the partnership, though it does wonders for developing humility, defined as a “modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc”. Lou also keeps the game interesting for all participants by promoting tempo in gameplay. In fact, if a seasoned player slows down too much, Lou may casually inform him he is wasting everyone's time. Lou uses solid logic and reasoning, which challenges partners to consider alternate thought processes, such as negative inferences, and when to chance it. If you want to determine your mettle and metrics as a bridge player, then partner with Lou and discover the real deal. I always feel alive, enlightened, and appreciative through the process.
~ Jeff Vedeges
Lou's ability to evaluate the game of bridge is amazing. He can evaluate, plan, play and recalculate a hand accurately faster and more efficiently than anyone I know. Tempo is Lou's game. When I play with him, I have to put my game in overdrive to keep pace (with more mistakes sometimes). The most fun is playing "dummy” and just watching.
~ Dave Bigler
I would like to thank Lou in his quest to play more bridge. He has brought a deep measure of friendship to me and has helped to restore my love of this fabulous game. Every time we sit across from one another, it feels like two children playing with a wonderful toy.
Over the years I have been blessed to play with some of the greatest players on this earth. Very few of them have either Lou’s tenacity nor his vision of the game. It is sad that it took Lou so long to become truly addicted to this exhilarating game, but as long as I am on this earth and as long as he is willing to play with me, we will have fun together — and maybe even win a few more events.
Mazel tov! ~ Howard Piltch
Congratulations to my frequent teammate and friend, Lou. Crossing the Au crest, you’re now a diamond in the rough. Right on!
~ Joe Chin
If you were to blend the personal qualities of rapid recall, intense concentration, and self-confidence and assuredness together with a high level of skill and natural ability, add in a flair for imagination along with a penchant for risk-taking, then throw in a few menacing glances, you would have Lou’s secret recipe for success at the bridge table.
~Steve Watson
Suzanne
Watson, member of the South Bend Bridge Club has achieved Gold Life Master
status. Her fellow players congratulate her on this fine accomplishment.
Suzanne was born and raised in New York City. When she was 8 and her brother was 12, her parents announced that she was old enough to make a foursome for party bridge.
Suzanne states that growing up in New York was awesome. Every weekend, there were museums, shows, ballets, concerts, ice-skating — a plethora of interesting and fun activities.
Suzanne met her former husband at the University of Wisconsin. They have two daughters — Diana, who became a mathematician, and Monica, who is a stay-at-home, home-schooling mom living with her husband and five children in Israel.
Suzanne taught school in the inner city in Chicago for thirteen years while raising her daughters. Then she went back to school to become a psychologist. She accepted a position at the Madison Center which is what brought her to South Bend. She now has a private practice and still works part-time.
In addition to bridge, Suzanne enjoys reading, HD operas, the South Bend Symphony and other concerts, knitting and cross-stitch, and gets her exercise by swimming. A former boyfriend introduced her to duplicate bridge where she met Jimmy Cordas. They have been together for 25 years. Suzanne states that Jimmy is wonderful — intelligent, unfailingly interesting and, of course, a superb bridge player.
BRONZE LIFE MASTERS
Lynn
Bayman writes: I grew up in Valparaiso, IN with bridge playing parents. I
have fond memories of hearing my parents and another couple discussing hands. I
often wondered why they talked so much about the outcome before dealing another
hand. Now I know why. The analysis is every bit as interesting as the bidding
and play of the hand. I began playing bridge when I was about 12 years old. My
family started playing before Sunday dinners. I loved bridge! It was far more
challenging than canasta, rummy or euchre. I kept playing through high school
and played a decent game by the time I went to college.
Bridge has been a part of my life ever since . . . a small part during the decades of having a profession and a family . . . and a large part now that my husband and I are retired. I've made many professional moves with my husband, and every time I've met friends easily and quickly through bridge.
When we moved to New Delhi, India, twenty-one years ago, I joined a few Indian duplicate clubs and played at a new competitive level. I enjoyed the challenge of playing with international partners and competing against so many other systems. When I first arrived, I often had to explain Standard American. Very few people played it in India in 1993.
When my husband retired, we moved back to the US and now spend the seven winter months in Vero Beach, FL and the five summer in months in Valpo and Chicago. The Vero Beach Bridge Club was a dream come true. It's one of the largest duplicate clubs in the US with well over 1000 members that own and run the club. There are games seven days a week and lessons at every level. Touring pros visit the club regularly to teach, lecture and play in the open games. It's quite intimidating to face Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell at the table!
In closing, I'll say that bridge has been a wonderful gift in my life. It has opened doors all over the world. I just played a few games in South America last month. It has challenged me as the greatest mind sport to ever exist. And aren't we forever optimistic about bidding and making 7 No Trump?
See you this summer at the table!
For
over 55 years John Kohne of Fort Wayne has been playing bridge, having
started when he was in grade school. John tells his story — I came from a
card playing family. If the game involved a deck of cards, we probably
played it. Whenever there were four players, a bridge game was started.
I began by watching my parents and aunt and uncle play and by reading how to play bridge according to the Charles Goren system. Finally, one day there were only three others and myself, and my playing days began.
I didn't play duplicate bridge until about 10-12 years ago, when my brother and I decided to give it a shot. The best time for us turned out to be playing on a Thursday night. Little did we know we were salmon thrown in with the sharks. It took us several months before we managed not to finish last.
Eventually we became competitive and even managed to finish first once in a while. Of course, we still finished last more than we would have liked to. (If I may digress a moment, I would encourage the current "salmon" to jump in with the sharks. You may sink at first but someday you will swim. I firmly believe one of the best way to improve is to play with better players.)
I enjoy playing with many different players, and I wouldn't say I necessarily have a favorite parter. There are players I play with at least once a week (John Aumiller and Joe Kohne), and others I play with at least once a month (Marilyn Weisbach, Mary Lou Clegg and Ella Kart) and players I'd like to play with like Jim Kart. I recently started playing with Lillian Armentrout on Thursday afternoon, and we play three times a month. Lillian is a good player who is improving steadily. I enjoy our games and am gratified to
think that I am,in a small way, helping her to improve. At the risk of embarrassing her (which is certainly not my intention), I have to mention that I received the worst single hand score I have ever received playing with her recently. Her right -hand opponent opened 1S, she doubled, her left-hand opponent redoubled. I passed because I had only two points. When it came around to her she passed. The opponents made 6 spades for a minus 2720 our way. Needless to say, Lillian learned several valuable lessons on that hand, which I sure she won't forget.
I have never played in a tournament outside of Fort Wayne, but that will change in a few weeks when John Aumiller and I will play at the Toledo regional for a couple days. I also plan to play in Gatlinburg some day, maybe as early as next spring.
Sally
Landrum lives in Marion. She has recently achieved Bronze Life Master
status. Congratulations to her for reaching the 500-masterpoint mark!
Sally had had a desire to play bridge for a long time. In the ‘70s she played some party bridge but didn't have the time to get serious about it. She worked long hours at the United States Post Office and was raising three children.
In 2002 she found that she had more time for social activities and began playing party bridge again. That same year she met Earl. He, like Sally, also enjoyed playing cards, so it was easy for her to convince him to learn bridge, even though he had never before played a single game. The two were married in 2004. Sally bought their first book, Bridge For Dummies, and the rest is history.
As their love for the game grew, Sally bought more books. Each month she looks forward to the articles in the Bridge Bulletin. In 2006 they joined ACBL and started playing in their local game in Marion. It was difficult at first, since theirs is a small club and not stratified. However, as their points began to add up, they tried their first tournament in Gatlinburg TN. It was so much fun that they began to travel to different states to participate in tournaments.
During their bridge journeys Sally and Earl have each won the Mini-McKenney and, in 2011 they both became Life Masters. Sally was able to become a Bronze Life Master this year and Earl is not far behind her. Most of the time they play together, travel together and learn together. Sally also partners with Julie Kupersmith and Patricia Skelton —both have taught her a lot.
With family, friends, traveling and bridge, the Landrums’ schedule is always full, and they feel blessed to have such a wonderful life
Jim
Kart shares his story with you:
Wow! Bronze Life Master! It seems like just a little while ago that I retired and had very few master points. Then what seemed like a few months (but actually a couple of years) went by and I had made Life Master. This put me in some pretty special company! I have been playing with some great bridge players since 1968 here in Fort Wayne, and the best were always the Life Masters. These are the people you go to when you aren't real sure if you should have passed a bid or gone on to game. I was told I needed to get a very good team together to get the points to make the higher levels. But most of the really good teams were already established, so I would be lucky to find any of these people available. But the time had just flown by and Life Master came in the Fort Wayne Regional last September, and, Wow Oh Wow, just eight months later in Gatlinburg I am now a Bronze Life Master, and people are asking me questions like, "Should I stop in game or make a try for slam?”
It's hard to believe I'm finally at this level. I play with everybody. I try not to get upset when things don't go my way. I'm glad when my partners don't get upset when I mess up. Strangely, I do very well with almost everyone. This is humbling because many people haven't enjoyed the success that I have. I believe a lot of it is trying to be consistent in my bidding. I try not to make bids that my partner doesn't understand. I also try very hard to encourage and compliment my partners and my opponents when they play well.
Bridge is such a fun game. It makes you think, keeps your mind sharp, and can help shape what kind of a person you are. I like to believe that it is shaping me in a way that would make my mother proud. And, Wow Oh Wow! — Bronze Life Master! Thank you to everyone who helped me achieve this plateau. In a couple more years who knows??? Maybe higher???
John
Hamilton was born in Manhattan, N.Y. in 1940. His family moved to South Bend
in 1955, and during the summer his parents taught him their version of bridge,
probably something like Culbertson. However, his first experience with duplicate
bridge came in a small game held at the student center during his freshman year
at Notre Dame. In the early ‘60s he remembers playing at the Oliver Hotel, now
long gone, as well as the old YMCA in downtown South Bend.
There was very little bridge while he attended Harvard Law School, but after graduating he moved to Los Angeles where, as a young Deputy Attorney General, he played some rubber bridge during lunch with his fellow Deputy AGs, one of whom was Mike Smolen — before he created his convention. During his time on the West Coast, John says he learned to be beaten by some of the best — Hermine Baron, Mike Lawrence and Mary Jane Farrell, among others.
After returning to South Bend in the late ‘70s to practice as a trial and appellate lawyer, John became a father and raised two sons. Now he is basking in retirement with his present partner and wife, Lynn Miller, who is also on her way to becoming a Life Master. It was with Lynn that John earned his final gold points in Kingston, Ontario to become South Bend’s newest Bronze Life Master. John is grateful for the help he received from many bridge partners and mentors including Don Wertheimer, Howard Piltch, Cal Miller, and Bruce BonDurant.
Congratulations John!
FRED BINDER — A NEW NONAGENARIAN
From
the look on Fred Binder’s face, he was obviously surprised and delighted
when members of the South Bend Bridge Club honored him for reaching the age of
90. Joining Fred to celebrate his special day was his brother Bob who traveled
from Arizona to be with him. Of course, Fred’s favorite partner, Bud Parshall,
was on hand to congratulate him also.
Fred was born in Bluefield, WV and moved to the Cincinnati, Ohio area in 1933. After high school he went into the Navy and served as a radio/gunner in a TBM torpedo bomber aboard the USS COWPENS aircraft carrier in the Pacific. When Fred graduated from Ball State in 1950, he worked as a tax auditor for the State of Indiana for 18 months. From 1951 to 1983 he was employed by Adams Engineering starting as office manager/controller but left as V.P. General Manager.
Fred was married to Mary Ann "Boots" Wagner for 36 years until she died of cancer in 1982. Their family was blessed with 6 children, 19 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and still counting. In 1983, 31 years ago, he married his present wife, Terry.
Fred first learned about bridge while in the Navy, but he started playing duplicate while at Ball State. He stopped playing in the mid ‘60s and lost all his points. A little while later he started playing again, and at the regional tournament held at Notre Dame Convocation Center in the late ‘60s, he earned 52 gold points for Life Master in an impressive manner. He and his knockout Swiss teammates — Ed Singleton, Phil Slatt and Don Jordan — defeated the legendary Barry Crane’s team.
Fred is still playing Golf at 90 and shot his age or better six times this past year. He sends his thanks to all the bridge players for their congratulatory notes on the birthday card and also for the golf balls which he just used in a memorial tourney — came in 3rd out of 8. Fred says, “All I have to say about bridge is that it is just a game, but ---------------- WOW! WHAT A GAME!”
IN
MEMORIAM
Edgar “Luke” Lucas of Gary passed away on April 7 at the age of 83. He enjoyed playing bridge in the Novice section. The players enjoyed his droll humor and his gentle, accepting nature. His skills made him a sought-after partner.
Luke retired in 1979 from professional building maintenance. He had 4 children and 4 stepchildren and lots of grandchildren. He served as a marine in the Korean War. Luke’s passion was playing chess, dominoes, pinochle and any other card games. He had 25.39 masterpoints.
Luke’s last game with us was in July. He spent the last 9 months in hospitals and rehab facilities trying to get better, but it was not to be. Our lives were enriched by having Luke as a part of them. He was a lovely human being.
SOUTH BEND BRIDGE CLUB RECOGNITION LUNCHEON
The SBBC hosted its annual recognition luncheon on May 3 to honor members who have achieved Life Master advancements. It turned out that there were many poets within the group, and their tributes are shared with you.
TRIBUTE TO LEROY BOSER — GOLD LIFE MASTER
A congenial dude, you must admit
He talks a lot you see.
I guess you know his humor by now
At least he does it free.
Lee smiles a lot — it’s plain to see
For this he must be numb.
He passes forcing bids you know
He does it with aplomb.
Analysis this, analysis that
Enough already, of course.
The hand is over, we’re in the clover
You’re just beating a dead horse.
He works his butt off stocking stuff
The refrigerator’s quite full.
We appreciate all the work he does
Thanks a lot and that’s no bull.
He even directs a game or two
Every month you see his style,
Director calls are not a pain,
He does them with a smile.
So here we are -- a brand new twist,
A proper end we trust.
He made it to that next plateau,
A gold life master, without a bust.
written by Irene Singleton
TRIBUTE TO JOAN TOBLER — GOLD LIFE MASTER
Table Six is the Gathering Place where
Joan Tobler plays bridge and studies.
It looks like Meckstroth’s entourage is there,
but it’s just her many bridge buddies.
Every Monday through Friday she’s asked to advise
on bidding, defense, and play,
And how to declare a hand so fast that
it takes your breath away.
We marvel at how often she leads a trump
to make a cross-ruff flop,
Asking ourselves how does she know
that this will get her a TOP.
She’s been my best partner, co-teacher, and friend
for over ten years, you see.
Once in a while, along the way, we’ve found
that we may disagree.
But when it comes to the love of this game,
there is no disagreement seen.
We think it’s the best game ever!
“Do you know what I mean?”
TRIBUTE TO ROBERT RUBLE — SILVER LIFE MASTER
Here’s to Bob, he’s true blue,
He’s a Hoosier, through and through.
Born in Georgia, but midwest for school,
Careered at Bendix, which was real cool.
He left to Texas for a while
But decided it was not his style.
Back to South Bend pleased him more
For friends and upping his duplicate score!
In Russia the ruble may not be so dear,
But in our bridge club, we’re glad Ruble is here!
TRIBUTE TO TOM ROSSOW — SILVER LIFE MASTER
Young Tom Rossow is my Swiss Team mate.
He’s a really good fellow and his playing is great.
He declares his cards like Meckstroth and Rodwell.
He doesn’t say much, though he really can talk well.
He learned how to play when he was still a young kid
From his dad, Al, who talked a lot more than he did.
Tom is still working so he can’t play a lot,
But when you go up against him, you know you’ve been fought.
We get in some practice while playing online.
I enjoy my games with him because he plays so fine.
If he were retired like I am, he’d have made this a lot faster.
Today we honor Tom for making Silver Life Master.
NEW CLUB IN UNIT 154
Named for Kosciusko County, the KC Duplicate Club was founded in 2007 by Terry and Virginia Witzky and June Stealy. In 2013 it became ACBL-sanctioned with Geoffrey Hadlock as director and June Stealy as manager. It is a small club with a relaxed pace of play and friendly atmosphere! New players are most welcome to join the group at 6 p.m. every Tuesday at 1692 W Lake Street in Warsaw. The entry fee is only $2.
SECOND ANNUAL PRO-AM SWISS TEAM /COOKOUT
This event for the South Bend Bridge Club proved to be a success again! On Thursday, May 29th, 11 Swiss teams, consisting of two experienced players with 500 points or more partnering with two non-life masters having fewer than 500 points, participated in the second annual Pro-Am Swiss Team Game. The winners were Tom and Connie Hebron, Jim Feinstein and Tom Hallum. Serving as the super director/cook was Bill Searcy. The super hostess, Joan Tobler, with her committee, Chris Barker and Jo Ann Steigmeyer, provided the hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and dessert. Players are already looking forward to their third annual Pro-Am next year.
FORT WAYNE FALL FESTIVAL REGIONAL will be held from September 15-21, 2014 in Fort Wayne, IN.
For more information check out the flyer on the ACBL website.