I don’t believe that my bridge story is very special or interesting. I started to play bridge in the early 1960s when my wife and I were first married and I was in the Navy stationed in the Caribbean during the Cuban Missile crisis. We along with other military couples stationed on  a beautiful island without television or telephones started to play bridge together.

Not knowing much but with plenty of time , I started reading a bridge book by Goren. I must admit I wasn’t very good or had much time to play and when we came home we both  joined the ACBL in 1991.  My  wife continued playing and improving so that she moved up the ranks so that she now is a Diamond Life Master. I on the other hand went to college to earn my MD and Ph. D.

However I did persist and adhered to my mother-in-laws mantra that if you live long enough everything that you want will happen. Now that I am 89 years old I guess I am old enough for a Gold Life Master rank. I persisted.