September 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 "*".)

September
September 2005
2005

From
the CEO
The front lines
If you attended the 2005 Summer NABC in
Atlanta, chances are you didn't even notice the
subject of my column this month.
They were there in force, but they usually don't make a huge splash. They
go about their business more or less under the radar, yet - to me, anyway
- they are among the most important members of the ACBL.
I'm talking about the American Bridge Teachers' Association, the world's
largest organization of professional bridge teachers (more than 500 members). Each summer, the ABTA hands out best-book and best-software
awards, which this year went to Marty Bergen for his book, Declarer Play
the Bergen Way, and Larry Cohen for his CD-ROM, My Favorite 52.
These awards are truly prestigious, but the real value of the ABTA is what
is does for the hundreds of bridge teachers who are doing such important
work for our organization.
Julie Greenberg, head of the ACBL's Education Department, tells me she
looks upon the ABTA as "the best source of continuing education for bridge
teachers there is."
Whenever someone completes the ACBL's Teacher Accreditation Program,
Julie says she always recommends that the graduates join the ABTA. The
networking about the latest teaching techniques and materials is positively
invaluable to bridge teachers who want to keep up with their peers.
The ABTA motto tells a lot about its main purpose: "To help those
who teach bridge do it better - more effectively - more knowledgeably
- more professionally."
The ABTA was formed nearly 40 years ago, and although American is the
first word in the name of the organization, it has a truly global presence.
Most members, of course, are in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but there
are ABTA members in such faraway places as Australia, Chile, England,
Greece, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Jamaica and South Africa.
It takes no great leap of logic to understand the value of an organization
that helps bridge teachers do their jobs better. The more these teachers improve, the more people will learn our great game, giving us more chances
to get them into duplicate. Most of our best-known teachers, of course, are
very much into our style of bridge.
If we are to continue our upward movement in membership, we will need
our teachers on the front lines, teaching those who don't know about our
game, and giving them a hobby that will last a lifetime.
Before we leave Atlanta, let me offer congratulations to the organizers of
the Summer NABC - a really outstanding tournament.
Don't miss Denver
Now is the time to start making reservations for the 2005 Fall NABC
in Denver, Nov. 17-27. The tournament will be all in one location - the
Adam's Mark Hotel, which is right on the 16th Street Mall. There is much
to see and do in Denver, and the weather can be
surprisingly mild even in the late fall. Don't
miss this great tournament.
See page 10 for more information.
Jay Baum, CEO
9

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2005