April 2005 - 9

The American Contract
Bridge League
President
Roger Smith
Chair, Board
of Directors
Bruce Reeve
Chief Executive Officer
Jay A. Baum
ACBL Counsel
Peter Rank
Chair, Board
of Governors
Linda Mamula
Board of Directors
District 1 * George Retek
District 2 * Jonathan Steinberg
District 3 * Joan Levy Gerard
District 4 * Craig Robinson
District 5 * Sharon Fairchild
District 6 * Nadine K. Wood
District 7 * Bruce Reeve
District 8 * Georgia Heth
District 9 * Shirley Seals
District 10 * Bill Cook Jr.
District 11 * Jim Reiman
District 12 * William Arlinghaus
District 13 * Harriette Buckman
District 14 * Sue Himel
District 15 * Phyllis Harlan
District 16 * Dan E. Morse
District 17 * Jerry Fleming
District 18 * Richard G. Anderson
District 19 * Barbara Nist
District 20 * Jeffrey Taylor
District 21 * Roger L. Smith
District 22 * Jim Kirkham
District 23 * Alan LeBendig
District 24 * Alvin Levy
District 25 * Richard De Martino
To contact your district director,
address your e-mail to
district"*"director@acbl.org
(Enter the district number
where you see "*".)

April 2005
2005
April

From
the CEO
As you probably noticed, the cover this month
highlights Atlanta, site of the 2005 Summer
NABC. Previous NABCs in that lively Southern
city have been highly successful, and I'm confi‑
dent we will see more of the same this year.
If you are considering a trip to Atlanta to play bridge between July 21 and
31, here's something to make note of: except for opening day, games start at
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be single‑session side games and knockouts
at 8 p.m. (at other tournaments, these would be the morning activities) and
a 9:30 p.m. zip knockout or Swiss Teams. Everything else is at 10 a.m.
and ‑3 p.m.
For those of you who wonder how we select cities to host NABCs, Atlanta
is a good example of a nearly ideal site. There are many factors that make a
city good for our big tournaments, and Atlanta has all of them. For starters,
there is an excellent local group headed by Chair Jack Feagin and Co‑Chair
Barbara Heller. Atlanta is also easy to get to by air or ground. The airport is
a major hub served by all major airlines.
This next factor is a big one: all play will be under one roof, at the Hyatt
Regency Atlanta. It's a huge plus for players to be able to make their way
from their rooms to the bridge tables without having to leave the hotel. At
the same time, Atlanta has a good selection of nearby hotels for those who
want an alternative to the primary site.
Naturally, what's going on in the city away from the bridge tables can
influence families who want to combine bridge with a vacation, especially
at the summer tournament. Atlanta has lots going on downtown, and there is
an abundance of restaurant choices near the Hyatt.
I'm pleased to note that the next four NABCs on the schedule - Denver
this fall and Dallas, Chicago and Honolulu in 2006 - all will be under one
roof, just the way you like it.
As you can imagine, a lot goes into site selection, and we take advantage
of opportunities to lock up good room rates well in advance or to book
popular facilities at affordable prices. Two of our most popular locations -
Las Vegas and Orlando - are booked for the summer of 2008 and the fall
of 2010, respectively.
Honors
Congratulations are in order to Betty Ann Kennedy and Kit Woolsey, the
newest members of the ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame (see page 66).
Both players started their winning a long time ago - and are still at it.
Betty Ann's first Venice Cup victory was in the inaugural event in 1974, and
she won it again in 2003, with many major victories in between. Kit won
the Rosenblum Teams in 1986 and has many other victories to his credit as
well. They are both fine ambassadors of bridge.
Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be this summer in Atlanta. Also
going in are Marshall Miles (Blackwood Award winner) and the late Percy
Sheardown (von Zedtwitz Award). Nick Nickell, awarded the 2004 Sidney
Lazard Jr. Sportsmanship Award, will also be part of the ceremonies in At‑
lanta. Besides being captain of one of the world's top bridge teams, Nick is
also a major credit to the ACBL and our game.


Jay Baum, CEO

9
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2005
