Category Archives: Stories

Gertrude Flor – NABC Master

ACBL District 4

Gertrude Flor will be 94 in September. She was born into a family of wealth and privilege in a small town that was once considered part of Romania and Austria. As a child she spoke many languages and was extremely musical. She recalls her mother playing bridge with friends and “always there was yelling and screaming” and so she vowed never to learn “that game”.!!!!!

Gert is a Holocaust survivor who was liberated by the Russians and then became a freedom fighter for the Czech army. Her late husband, Sam Flor, was also a survivior and was a sought after speaker to tell his story of the Holocaust to the world. (Gert could not bear to speak about it). While living in Minnesota he was with the Minnesota Symphony (a concert violinist) and there they learned to play bridge with friends.

Moving here with their daughter Gloria, Gert was a concert pianist and even played for bridge players at the Philadelphia NABC. After Sam died in 1996 a friend persuaded her to try duplicate bridge. She did so reluctantly and only went to local tournaments. She has tried to become an NABC Master for almost 20 years. Two years ago she had a stroke that affected the vision in her left eye and the use of her left arm. But she continues to play at the Yorktown Bridge Club a few times each week.

Over the years, Joan Brandeis and Miriam and Sheldon Einhorn made several efforts to play with Gert to earn the points needed to become an NABC Master, but she still needed 2.95 Gold points after many attempts.
When Susan Kestenbaum heard how close she was to her goal she enlisted several club members to try and help her achieve it this year. Ellie Goodman. Edie McAlpin and Wes Powers all agreed without hesitation to make this happen during the Valley Forge Regional’s new Mid-Flight Swiss event.

The directors at the Valley Forge tournament were helpful and encouraging. Marc Labovitz made sure Gert had a stationary table for her wheelchair and an electrical outlet for her lamp. Both Marc and Marshall Kuschner made sure her cards were sorted into suits and all of the opponents were patient and understanding.

The team left the tournament feeling disappointed that she was still over one point short of her goal. Gert, however, was not discouraged and was busy making plans to try again in Lancaster. She was upbeat and on the trip home and she raved about how nice everyone was to her, including the opponents and directors.

Imagine our great surprise when we found out that the initial scores posted were revised and that Gert had, in fact, become an NABC Master! (The team earned 3.40 Gold points)

At a celebration party this week at Yorktown Bridge Club she gave a little speech expressing her gratitude to all, saying that with the exception of her daughter, she had lost everything and everyone in her life and this wonderful experience “restored my faith in humanity”. She also said that “the bridge players are now my family”. All Gert’s friends and teammates were very touched by her words.

Many thanks go to Bruce Schwaidelson who called ACBL to question the scores in the A/X flight – the revisions corrected the team’s scores also and Gert now has her 3.40 Gold points to be an NABC Master. Gert’s team has named Bruce their honorary team member!

Jeanne Parrett – NABC Master

ACBL District 4

I joined the ACBL in 2010 after getting my feet wet on BBO where I was introduced to the basic SAYC system. It was my BBO friends who encouraged me to join the ACBL and find ‘real’ games at a local club. My first session at the Lancaster club was quite an experience – much different from online Bridge, and it was also my introduction to bidding boxes and director calls.

That first night of club Bridge was great. Oh trust me, I had a terrible game, but the director and players were extremely friendly and welcoming. For the first year, I played pretty consistently with one partner, became familiar with a few conventions, and started earning partial points here and there. On one surprising Tuesday night I earned my first overall club win! Director John teased that ‘C’ players are not supposed to beat ‘A’ players, but I was ecstatic!

Following that first year, I started playing with many partners that used a variety of conventions and carding systems. Initially, I tried to adapt to others’ conventions cards, but looking back I can see that added a layer of complexity and confusion as I was trying to learn. I now have a preferred convention card to which I’m slowly making adjustments as I learn new conventions. I continue to play on BBO, primarily with a select few partner-friends there. I’ve also used the BBO ‘Robots’ to get more experience with the 2 over 1 game force system.

As the years have passed, great friendships have grown from my Bridge community. By becoming part of the Lancaster Regional Tournament Committee and most recently, the Unit 168 Board, that Bridge family continues to grow. I now realize that I may have acquired a mild addiction – because more than a few times, I’ve taken a day of vacation from work to play Bridge (but there are others that have a worse addiction than mine!!).
Looking back, I realize the game was never about the master points or reaching a certain level, it was about challenging myself and trying something new. That still holds true. The friendships, this sense of ‘family’ that developed, that’s the most cherished part of my journey. My Bridge family supported me through difficult personal times, embraced me as a person, and they continue to encourage my learning of this wonderful game. It sounds cliché to say that Bridge changed my life, but it’s true. Where else would I have met this diverse, intelligent, serious, silly, compassionate and maddening group of people? How else would I have developed such a wonderful extended family? Nowhere else but in Bridge!

My story would not be complete without acknowledging the huge impact a Club Director can have on the Bridge player’s experience. It would have taken much longer to achieve the rank of NABC Master without the support of Debi and John Klinger who went above and beyond the call of duty in finding partners and teams, encouraging my learning and growth, and challenging me to participate in Regionals and Nationals. They are amazing people and great advocates of the game!

What I’ve learned in my journey, and would offer to newer players to support their enjoyment and advancement in the game, include the following:

1. Get to know the locals:

a. Your club directors are an invaluable resource!
b. Club members can become great friends and a support network
c. Get involved in your club’s activities

2. Be resilient:
a. Expect failure – learn from those hands/experiences
b. Don’t be intimidated by skilled players, they were once new to the game
c. Director calls are part of the game and not a personal affront
d. Practice forgiveness (for yourself and others) – all bridge players have good days and not-so-good days

3. Learn more about Bridge:
a. Log on to the ACBL website for useful information and educational materials
b. Attend lessons at your club, if available
c. Consider asking a skilled player to become your mentor
d. Borrow books from your Bridge director or other players to advance your knowledge

4. Practice and Play:
a. Play at your local club(s) and play against the best competition possible
b. Attend sectionals, regionals and nationals, if possible
c. Use BBO to practice and hone your skills

Lynn Lonker – Bronze Life Master

ACBL District 4

I learned to love bridge when I started taking lessons about 15 years ago. There was so much to learn and understand! I found the game challenging, interesting, often fun, and many times frustrating. The social aspects of Bridge have been a real plus. Most importantly Bridge afforded me the opportunity to make many good friends with whom I have shared Bridge games, good conversation, movies and dinners. I especially want to thank Linda, Judy and Natalie who were so instrumental in helping me to earn the points I needed. I look forward to many more years of friendship, challenges, and even the frustration!

Jim Herrington – Gold Life Master

ACBL District 4

I am a 77 year old retired Presbyterian minister, who played my first duplicate game in June, 1959, in my hometown of Abilene, TX. I shortly thereafter went to Europe (U.S. Army) and earned 40 points in three years, then played almost no bridge at all for ten years (graduate school and first pastorate). Moving to Mobile, Al in 1972, I became a life master in January,1976, before moving to Delaware later that year. For several years in Delaware I played some, then directed the unit game–slowing adding up to 750 points. When asked to assist a friend to get his Gold Points several years ago, I again began to play regularly, making 1,000 in May, 2007. Since then, I have accumulated the additional 1,500 points, playing regularly, and earning ca. 200 points a year.
Some of my favorite partners have been Jeff Koltenuk, Jan Garber, Alan Horowitz, and Carla Wasniewski.

Dolores O’Boyle – Junior Master

ACBL District 4

Many many years ago when I was very young,
A friend and I read Goren’s Book, love of bridge had then begun;
Other friends’ and neighbors quickly said, in no uncertain terms, “Too much study time involved, no desire to read, to learn”;
So one day we heard “There’s a bridge game in town, just come in and you can play”,
So off we went to check it out, to see if we could stay….
And play some hands, what could we lose, after all we read Goren’s book,
We were seated at a table, introduced and then we looked,
No cards were dealt or taken, instead once played were all returned….
To the board, then passed on to be played again until played by all, we quickly learned;
Well the years rolled on, business demanded much time and my bridge days faded away,
Until late last year I decided to observe a duplicate game to see if I felt I could still play;
The first thing I learned, the Goren I played was no longer being used anywhere,
Conventions and strange bidding now ruled the day and to compete you must adapt if you care….
To stay in the game and win some points, after all winning is what we all want to do,
And if you play your cards right and luck is on your side, you’ll pick up a couple of points too;
So now I’m a Junior Life Master, at this time of my life, I think to accomplish that really is a blast,
But the real benefits of the game are the friendships I’ve made, and that soothes me if I come in last;
So I look forward to continuing and improving my game, even collect some more points along the way,
And win, lose or draw, I’ll continue to play, even sneak some Goren in….but I’ll never say.

Clayton White – Club Master

ACBL District 4

Clayton White began playing duplicate bridge in 2003 after retiring from a 33-year career as Professor of Music and Department Chair at Community College of Philadelphia. Playing in The American Bridge Association (ABA), Clayton captained teams that won three national Knockout Championships and 12 Sectional Knockout Championships as well as numerous pairs Championships. Also, he is a bridge instructor certified by the ABA and the ABTA.

Since his ABA club closes for the summer months, Clayton and his partner, Anola Vance, have played at Raffles on Wednesdays during July and August the past two years. Anola, a former student in Clayton’s bridge class, has been playing duplicate bridge for 3 years. In the NLM (under 500 MP) game hosted by the PCBA at Bala Golf Club on October 9, 2015, Anola and Clayton placed 1st overall with a 65.46% score. Anola will soon advance to Club Master.