Unit 239 in a Nut Shell

1.  A special thanks to Mary Jo Sergent for doing an outstanding job in chairing the Rockford Sectional at the Clock Tower Hotel and Convention Center.

2.  Ron Hopemen will be replacing retiring Lucille Chaffee as a board member.

3.  The Unit has purchased 160 new card tables for various tournaments -- 120 for the Rockford Regional and 40 for the tournaments in the Fox Valley area.

4.  The Unit also has purchased new playing cards to be used by the various clubs within the area.

5.  Add to your agenda the Turkey Bowl in Aurora on November 23rd to 25th.

Carla Kieckhefer: Life Master

Carla Kieckhefer for almost all of her life has resided in Rockford. She and her husband Jack succeeded in raising the three daughters Kathy, Karen and Diane and now have four grandchildren. Being snow birds, this couple spends part of the winter in sunny California where they enjoy both bridge and golf. They also like to travel and are planning a trip to Croatia in November.

As with many bridge players, Carla learned the game from her parents. When dating and in early married life, Carla and Jack, without much money, found bridge an inexpensive and fun form of entertainment. In the mid-1970s, Carla discovered duplicate bridge, and since then has been a regular fixture at the Rockford Bridge Center. Having over 700 points, she has finally accumulated enough color points to earn both honors of Life Master and Bronze Life Master. Her current regular partner is Mickey Schallberg and she used to also play a lot with her mother until her passing in 2004.

Carla enjoys the challenge and competition found in the game of bridge, and even as a novice, she liked playing with the "Big Boys" -- those individuals with a lot more points than the competition. Her advice to other beginners is, "Don't be afraid to get your feet wet and try playing in some of the open games. It'll make you a better player."

True to her own advice, Carla related that many years ago, Brian Nelson, an experienced player whose mother was one of the founders of the Rockford Club, told Carla she "looked as white as a ghost". She related to me her ashen appearance was due to the tenacity of the competition. On many Tuesdays or Thursdays, you'll see Carla enjoying a round of bridge at the Rockford Center.

Flo Curry: Life Master

Flo achieved her Life Master status at the Rockford Regional this June. Like Carla, a few weeks later Flo earned a few more colored points advancing to Bronze Life Master. She credits her partners, Lucia Skurski, Renee Shambeau and Merylyn Rein with helping her earn enough colored points to achieve her two newest ranks.

A lifelong Rockford resident, Flo has one daughter and grandson living in California. Flo was busy earning a living and didn't take up bridge until 1995. Her sister, Toni Johnson, after much cajoling, got Flo interested in duplicate bridge. Flo said she never played party bridge, so she said she had an advantage in not picking up any bad playing habits.

To refine her skills, Flo took lessons from Kathy Owen and developed a very strong partnership with Pam Eden. Flo said, "Pam became like a sister to me and we earned many points as a partnership". Together they played in the Monday night game directed by Kathy Owen and Mary Belle Moss.

Flo likes bridge because it challenges the mind and you get to be with a lot of nice people. Her advice, like Carla's, is to play in the more advanced games. "Through these experiences, you'll learn much," Flo also said. "After a challenging game, it is a good idea to talk with your partner, going over both the good and bad points of your play." Flo chuckled and related she played on Sunday afternoons when Bill Smith was a director of an open game, and it took her and her partner one year before they scratched.

Flo now plays bridge four times a week: Sunday, Tuesday night, Thursday and Friday at the Rockford Bridge Center. When she's not playing bridge, Flo is rolling bocce balls in league play at the St. Ambrosia Club. Flo summed it up by saying that playing bridge has made her life much more interesting.

The Changing Scene…

New Junior Masters: Candy. Hogan, St Charles; Betty Nowak, St Charles; Derek Volk, Belvidere; Curt Worden, Rockford; Jomarie Paul, Rockford; Raymond Paul, Rockford; Carolyn Rosene, St Charles; Lon B. Behr, Rockford; Linda F. Brubaker, Geneva; Thomas E. McDonald Batavia.

New Club Masters: Paul Brown, Rockford; Anita Bull, Crystal Lake; Gerald Gale, Rockford; Beverly Hecht, Geneva; Ellen McCarville, Rockford; Carol Vojta, Rockford; Charlene Whitney, Winnebago; Chander R. Aiyar, Huntley;

New Sectional Masters: Robert Herro, Rockford; John A. Bakker, South Elgin; Renee McNitt, Roscoe: Dianne S. Pauser, Dixon; Donald Pauser, Dixon.

New Regional Masters: Don Malone, Sharon, WI; Nancy Wilson, Davis; David A. Wilson, Davis.

New NABC Master: Karen L. Pickelsimer, Oakwood Hills.

New Bronze Life Master: Florence Curry, Rockford; Carla Kieckhefer, Rockford. Joan P. Bailey-Murray, Rockford; Robert Brightup, Rockford; Thomas D. Hardy, Huntley.

New Silver life Master: Audrey J. Danocup.

New Gold Life Masters: Meyer Abarbanel, Belvidere

Upcoming Area Tournaments

October 12-14 -- Springfield IL Sectional. Springfield IL

October 22-28 - Central States Regional. Lake Geneva WI

November 9-11 - Fallfest Sectional. Lombard IL

November 23-25 - Turkey Bowl Tournament. Aurora IL

January 25-27 - Winterfest Sectional. Arlington Heights IL