70% + GAMES

Howard Schmid, Merrillville and Dan Spain, Portage — 71.82%  July 12

Elaine Delaney, South Bend and Jimmy Cordas, South Bend — 70.60%  August 1

Barbara Steinkamp, Fort Wayne & Ellis Ralston, Fort Wayne — 70.00%  August 9

Keith and Marci Meyer, Long Beach — 70.14%  August 9

Lou Nimnicht, Crown Point and Barbara Graegin, Dyer — 70.83%  August 13

Chris Clarke, South Bend and Clarke Dippell, Granger (199er game) — 71.25%  August 15

Richard Mao, Mishawaka and Howard Piltch, South Bend (two-session event at the Kalamazoo Regional) — 71.81%  August 16

Ruth Westberg, Tinley Park IL and Jim Angell, Munster — 73.86%  August 20

Merrill Crull, Granger and Lyla Lockhart, Notre Dame (99er game) — 72.50%  August 23

Bob Kellstrom, Chesterton and Howard Schmid, Merrillville — 74.15%  September 14

Mary and Tom Wisniewski, South Bend (49er game) — 73.08%  September 14

Betty Eason, Porter and Donna Beach, Valparaiso (49er game) — 70.63%  September 24

RISING IN THE RANKINGS

Junior Master: Lee Baatz, Columbia City; Gretchen Bonsib, Fort Wayne; Douglas Booth, Long Beach; Joyce Cerny, Marion; Sally Frame, South Bend; Martha Harris, Highland; Reggie Lowenhar, Granger; Charles Spiher, South Bend

Club Master: Dana Kaminsky, Fort Wayne; Mary Wisniewski, South Bend

NABC Master: Maureen Trubac, Granger

Life Master: Ilse Grove, South Bend

Silver Life Master: Patricia Borchert, Elkhart

GOLD LIFE MASTER

Lena Howard was born in Chongqing, China and grew up in Taiwan. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 1971 with a degree in Economics and Business. She has been a full-time real estate broker since 1978 with her own business, Lena Realty, Inc. since 1985. She has also worked with various mortgage companies during which time she received the CCIM and the CRS and GRI designations.

Lena enjoys flowers with a rose garden on the deck and flowering orchids in the house. She has studied ballroom dancing, was on a curling team, played piano, and enjoys cooking Chinese food. She designed her new, contemporary home but finds time to go to her favorite travel destination — Hawaii. Her favorite music is Elvis and her favorite sport is Notre Dame football.

Her husband, Willis E. Howard, III, Ph.D., is a scientist at Siemens. Her life has been enriched because of her sons, Kurt and Kean, and her four intelligent and talented grandchildren — Brandon, Cameron, Ethan, and Sophie.

Lena started playing bridge at Elkhart’s Elcona Country Club in 1984 and then duplicate once a week in Elkhart in 1990. Her first partners were Pius Tse and Pat Borchert. Her game started to really improve when Jim Feinstein became her bridge partner in 1997, and she became a Life Master in 2000. Howard Piltch provided advice on which books to study and how to strengthen her declarer play. She appreciates the help of her other partners, including Cappy Gagnon, Mike Slaven, Lee Boser, Marian David, David McNitt, Richard Mao, and Richard Hastings.

SILVER LIFE MASTER

Pat Borchert was born in the former Yugoslavia, but grew up in Italy, which she considers more her home. She came to the states and lived in Ohio where she attended the University in Akron. It was after her freshman year that she met and married Peter, a Ph.D. in chemistry, who brought her to Elkhart when a position was offered to him at Miles Laboratory, later to become Bayer.

A few years after her daughter was born, Pat decided to go back to school and finish her degree. She has a BA and MS in Sociology and German from Indiana University. She used her knowledge to teach conversational and business German to the executives at Bayer who were going to Europe. She also taught German at Bethel College and Italian at Notre Dame, IUSB and Holy Cross among others. She works as an independent agent and has her own business, a foreign language and translation service.

Most of all she enjoys travel, bridge, movies, classical music, theatre and the arts, in general, and is a voracious reader. She is looking forward to visiting her daughter and two grandchildren on the East coast after which she will be off to Europe again.  

LIFE MASTER

Ilse Grove was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. Before immigrating to the US in 1984, she worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danish Ministry of Education and University of Copenhagen.

When she and her husband moved to Maryland, she worked part time at the University of Maryland but focused her life on her three sons, Jens, Soren (twins) and Chris. In addition, she started raising and showing whippets. From 1995 she traveled with five dogs to Denmark every summer — quite a spectacle at the airport each time. In 2007 the family moved to South Bend where her husband, Karsten, was offered an "Endowed Chair Professorship" at Notre Dame. 

Ilse became interested in bridge about ten years ago in Maryland, but only played on and off. Moving to South Bend four years ago she joined the South Bend Bridge Club with fewer than 50 points. She is happy to have met the many members of the club and appreciative of those who have played with her. She has enjoyed lessons from Leslie Shafer and her husband Charlie (Studmuffin) in Maryland, and from Jo Ann Steigmeyer, Elaine DeLaney, and Irene Singleton. She is also grateful for the help she has received from her mentors, John and Tricia Killeen.

She became a Life Master this past August at the St. Louis Tournament. 

PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT — 2011

As in the past our unit has financially supported local STaCs, North American Pairs, and North American Team events. Last year our participation in the pairs and team events was considerably down from previous years. We need to promote these events to get a larger participation, particularly with newer players. Remember the unit pays for the entry fees and provides $50 to each player to help defer the cost of travel and lodging.

Our goal to maintain an adequate financial base to support our annual regional was satisfied last year. This happened primarily because of reduced regional site cost resulting from contracts arranged by Bob Carteaux.

Finally, it is very important to maintain a constant flow of new members into our unit. I have seen very positive results in this area over the past couple of years. We should continue to support those who are teaching these new players.

Let’s enjoy each other’s company at the bridge table.

   -- Chuck Briggs,  Unit 154

A “MAHVELOUS” PRESIDENT

For the past three years Paul Silberman has done an outstanding job as president of the South Bend Bridge Club. He has spent untold hours encouraging our members to become more involved. 

During his tenure, the club has seen the addition of the Bridge Mate for automatic scoring, the large screen which shows final standings after each game, increased membership (185 members), over 2800 tables in play during 2010-2011, monthly Board meetings, encouragement of Zero Tolerance reporting, the Celebrity Wall of top players, and many improvements to the physical appearance of the club. 

Paul has encouraged the mentors who bring our players to a higher level of play and the teachers who bring in new players. He has been a strong president whose leadership has been very much appreciated. Thank you sooooo much, Paul!!

WHY I PLAY BRIDGE

From the Fort Wayne bridge players:

• Bridge is an immensely challenging game. No matter how much you know, each hand is a new puzzle to figure out. There is a sense of mastery when you play even one hand well and when you and your partner bid well or defend well. Finally, it's fun and you meet a lot of bright, interesting people. When I moved to Fort Wayne, now almost 10 years ago, I went straight to the Bridge Center and immediately had something to do and a social setting in which to do it. Several of the other players have since become dear friends.    ~ Judy Nelsen

• The Bridge Center may be my favorite amusement park. For a couple of bucks, I can spend several hours speeding from 100 to 0 and back to 100 on two boards.   ~ Carol Suedhoff

• My partners keep me humble — annoyed, too — but humble.

• Instead of paying for an Alzheimer's evaluation, I play bridge. It's just as effective and much cheaper. ~ Otto Bonahoom

From the South Bend Bridge Club players:

• I'm not all that bright.

• I'm a masochist and enjoy being beaten up daily.

• It's better than shoveling snow.

• There's nothing else for a fat old fart to do.

• It made my father happy.

• I liked my first (and present) partner.

• All my friends played, and I was lonely.

• I can't think of any other way to terrorize people.

• My uncle played in the JAG in the Air Force in England in World War II. He came home and taught my family.

• It was better than going to class.

• We liked duplicate bridge because no one could talk.

• It was the only kind of cards they had in reform school (jail, the brothel).

• In 1955 in Germany in an apartment, our neighbors liked to play games and together we learned to play bridge.

• I was very smart and liked money.

• My husband deserted me, and I needed something to do.

• It taught me my directions.

• A friend made me play because he ran out of people to beat up on.

• The Welcome Wagon representative taught me.

• My mother and grandmother loved to play.

• My husband was a bridge player, and, on our second date, he taught me how to play.

• I played in college.

• I took one bridge lesson and decided I would go to the Bridge Center and play with the big group. After playing about three times, I heard people say, "Double." I thought that was a great bid and I wanted to use it. The next time I played, the bidding went: Pass, Pass, Pass, Double (by me).
  Someone screamed, "Director! Director!" Well, I was sure I would get two years or worse hard labor somewhere. The director was Dean Duncan, and he came over and said, "Hmmm - no suchy bid. Carry on." I was determined to learn what double meant so I kept coming back to play bridge.

 From Northwest Indiana bridge players:

• It’s the best exercise there is for the brain.  ~ Carol Osgerby

• I have a high tolerance for pain.

• So I can spend time with interesting people.

• Because bridge gets me OUT of the house!

• ‘Cuz I can’t dance.  ~ Tom Hallum

• The judge told me, “It’s your choice — bridge or jail.”  ~ Lou Nimnicht

• It’s my excuse for not having time to do housework.  ~ Hilda Connor

• I am literally obsessed with the sport of duplicate bridge, due to its competitive nature. Also, bridge is known to slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  ~ Al Simmons

• If it weren’t for bridge, I would be very lonely. Many lovely friends, plus the enjoyment and challenge of the game, have evolved from the opportunity to play bridge.  ~ Carol Ann Heinrich

• Bridge helped me through my loneliness after my husband died. It lifted me from the doldrums of feeling sorry for myself to feeling like living again.  ~ Faye Anderson

• The camaraderie is cherished, and the requirement to engage in high-level thinking is immeasurable.  ~ Sarah Nicewander

FORT WAYNE FALL FESTIVAL REGIONAL

The Fort Wayne Fall Festival Regional from September 19-25 was a huge success. Bob Carteaux has been smoothly running our tournament for many years. He has decided this will be his last year and he is turning the job over to his co-chair, Michael Clegg.

To thank Bob for all he has done, Friday, September 23rd was designated “Bob Carteaux Day”. We had a special edition of the Daily Bulletin all about Bob, and he was presented a plaque by Chuck Briggs, president of Unit 154. Thank you, Bob.

Approximately 5700 points were awarded to 500 people during the week.

In round 3 of the Sunday Swiss Team Eric Rodwell and Jeff Meckstroth were playing when Jeff became ill. A caddie, Anna Marie Bonahoom, played one hand with Eric. Then Mike Bonahoom, our own director and husband of Anna Marie, sat in to finish the event with Eric. The team finished in a tie for 1st. Mike says, “It sure was an honor to play 4 rounds with Eric. He was so easy to play with.”  After the game Eric complimented Mike on his bidding and play. Of course that coming from Eric meant a lot to Mike. It was an afternoon of bridge he’ll never forget.

Some of us had the pleasure of listening to Eric play the grand piano in the lobby of the Hilton between sessions.

Joe Shull, with the assistance of Mary Lou Clegg, did partnerships. Paul Knepper and his many helpers were in charge of the hospitality room. Paul served his special Braunschweiger cheese ball every night along with other goodies and lots of Bloody Marys, beer, etc. Ellis Ralston was responsible for the Daily Bulletin. He was awake in the wee hours of the morning cutting and pasting. Mike and Anna Marie Bonahoom were in charge of caddies. Several of the men furnished their pickup trucks and with the help of several others moved tables and bidding boxes to and from the playing site. The Fort Wayne bridge players are a great group and pitched in to help wherever needed. 

Guest speakers between sessions were Jade Barrett, Michael Huston and Eric Rodwell. Their talks were especially interesting and informative.

New life masters were Mark Campbell, Indianapolis IN; Susie Wagner, St. Joseph MI; and Jorie Malelo, Oak Brook IL.

We wish Michael Clegg the best of luck with future Fort Wayne Fall Festival Regionals.

NORTHWEST INDIANA SECTIONAL

October 14 - 16, 2011

St. Mary’s Orthodox Center

8600 Grand Blvd., Merrillville IN  

Silver points — Refreshments — $5 entry fee for 299er events

For more information, contact Chuck Briggs:  (219) 947-1140