August 2005 - 69

J

ody Latham, associate editor
of the Bridge Bulletin for more
than a decade and an ACBL
employee since 1988, died June 9
after a brief battle with cancer. She
was 60.
Born in Cleveland MS, she earned
a degree in journalism from the
University of Mississippi in 1965
and worked for the Tupelo Journal
and the Commercial Appeal in
Memphis before joining the ACBL
staff, initially in the Club Membership Department. She divided her
time between Club Membership and
proofreading for the Bridge Bulletin
before becoming associate editor in
June of 1993.
Latham joined the ACBL in 1972,
earning her gold card six years
later. She was a Silver Life Master
with nearly 2500 masterpoints to
her credit. For most of her ACBL
career, she was a regular at area
tournaments and at the bridge club
in Memphis.
She was well-liked and respected
by her colleagues at Headquarters
in Memphis (see page 6) and by the
players she came in contact with
as a Bridge Bulletin editor and Daily
Bulletin staffer at NABCs. She had
a special interest in women's bridge.
Besides her family, Latham's other
interests were her college alma
mater and her two cats, Katherine
and Spencer.
One of her best friends among
the players was Betty Ann Kennedy.
"Jody had a keen insight into the
nature of people - their strengths
and foibles," Kennedy said. "She
could discern the good qualities in
people, and she called a spade a
spade. She was extremely kind. Her
talent in journalism was unexcelled.
Jody was very witty and found
humor in nearly everything."
Following are messages received
from various friends and associates:
Roy G. Green, former chief
executive officer of the ACBL: "Jody
was a wonderful person and will be
missed by many, including me."
August 2005

Mary Jo (Jody) Latham
1944-2005
Joan Jackson, Dallas TX: "Jody
was always such a delight to work
with. We frequently talked about
hands and I enjoyed her a lot."
Jill Meyers, Santa Monica CA:
"The best description I can give of
Jody is that she was just a 'good
egg.' She was very thoughtful, kind,
honest and truly loved bridge and
bridge players. She had a particular
interest in women's bridge and
always gave it great coverage. She
was a very good friend to me. I am
going to sorely miss our conversations, particularly about our 'kitty
children.' The bridge world has lost
a great devotee."
Barbara Seagram, Toronto ON:
"Jody was such a special lady. She
was feisty with lots of style and
always fun to be around. She was
good company. She loved the ACBL
and cared so much about everyone
she worked with. Whenever she
called me, there were always lots of
laughs and good times."
Billy Miller, Las Vegas NV: "For
more than a decade, Jody so
beautifully put the finishing touches
on all of my Dear Billy columns.
She took so little credit, but
deserved so much. She was understated, but never under-appreciated.
I considered her one of my dearest
friends, and our monthly conversations were inspirational. I already
miss her terribly."
Eddie Kantar, Santa Monica CA:
"Jody was the editor of my intermediate-level bridge columns. She
always encouraged me to come up
with new ideas and then was very
supportive of those ideas. And I remember how much I enjoyed seeing
her at the NABCs we both attended.
But I will not remember Jody as
my editor, I will remember her as
my friend along with all the e-mails
and telephone calls that we shared.

Jody, you
were very
special
and I will
miss you
big time."
Carol
Sanders,
Nashville
TN:
"Jody
was my friend from the time she
started playing duplicate. I remember how happy she was when she
went to work for the ACBL. In
Jody's case it was a marvelous life
working for the Bridge Bulletin. She
loved watching her twin nieces grow
into young ladies and proudly showing off their pictures as if she was
their grandmother. She truly loved
all bridge players."
Sheila Wimer, Reno NV: "I first
met her in Reno, 1989, at the
Spring NABC. What a fine time we
had together, as she and Henry
Francis worked on the Daily Bulletins, which I think I still have. My
condolences to you and your staff,
her friends, who will miss her."
Augie Boehm, New York City:
"Jody was my editor and cheerleader for close to a decade. When I ran
dry for new ideas, she had a ready
suggestion. She tracked the exploits of my fictitious student, Sally
Fourth, with a keen eye. If Sally was
absorbing the Professor's advice a
little too quickly to be realistic, Jody
was there to caution."
She leaves her brother, Wayne
Latham of Cordova TN; a nephew,
Zach Latham, and twin nieces, Beth
and Melanie McCasland. The family
requests that memorials be sent
to the American Cancer Society or
Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee,
5909 Shelby Oaks Dr. Suite 200,
Memphis TN 38134.
69
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2005
