October 2006 - 36

What I Did
Over the Summer
By Linda Granell

A few back-to-school essays no
doubt were met with disbelief this fall
when they began, "I had lunch with
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates."
Students from Georgia, Iowa and
Nebraska met over burgers and curly
fries with the two richest men in the
world - in wealth and in heart - at
the Nebraska Regional in August.
Gates and Buffett are regulars at
the tournament held near Omaha,
Buffett's hometown. This year, they
brought along 28 new players from
several of the school lesson programs
they are funding across the country.
"I was very excited to learn
because I'd never played before,"
said Brandon Trammell of Atlanta.
(In fact, Brandon had never heard
of bridge.) "It's different than other
card games. It helps you think about
decisions and consequences before

you make a move."
That's exactly the lesson Gates and
Buffett hope to convey through their
program.
"Bridge is a great way to learn
from inferences," said Buffett. "A
lot of decisions in life you make by
inferring from what you know."
"It's a great mental game," added
Gates. "It forces you to concentrate
and learn about partnership. If you're
going to be good at bridge, you're
going to be good at a lot of things."
Put simply by Devon Peer of Iowa:
"I used to not be able to remember
things very long, and I think that now
I can remember stuff longer."
Students competed in their own
event, and experienced players could
have learned a thing or two from
their demeanor. Told not to speak or
make facial expressions, they kept
table talk to a minimum
except in a few irresistible
moments, such as when
one defender quietly but
firmly whispered, "I'm
going to shut your spades
down."
Some students were
blasé about at the
opportunity to meet the
billionaire duo. "Who
needs to know a famous
person when you're going
to be famous yourself?"
quipped self-assured Iowa
teen Makenzie Kauffman.
But that didn't stop her
from lining up with others
when Gates and Buffett
started signing the backs
of tee shirts and handing

Bill Gates signs
some dollar bills
- souvenirs for the
young bridge players.
36

out signed dollar bills. The grandfatherly Buffett even engaged in tug of
war over his wallet (he won).
Gates and Buffett have committed
$1 million for youth bridge programs.
These students were from Odyssey
Atlanta, an academic enrichment
program for middle school students;
Mt. Pleasant Middle School in Iowa;
the "Introduce a Teen to Bridge
Program" at the Center Mall Bridge
Club in Omaha; and Omaha's
Burke High School. Their teachers
were Steve Hancock, Atlanta; Zip
Mettenburg, Steve Rod and Phyliss
Paine, Iowa; and Alice Craig and
Carol Phillips, Omaha. Phillips also
ran the game at the tournament.
Other lesson programs under way
include those through the Community
Foundation of New Jersey and
Knowledge Is Power Program
Academy in Houston.
"Bill and Warren want to expose
youngsters to this wonderful game,
giving them a chance to have fun,
compete and grow," said Sharon
Osberg, a world champion player
coordinating the program. "It would
be wonderful to watch a whole
new generation of players become
fascinated with the game."
Entrance into the schools often
requires persistence by local bridge
teachers, but the game quickly gains
acceptance.
"I knew it was good because school
opens at 7 even though classes don't
start until 8. And the kids already
were there playing bridge," said Mt.
Pleasant Dean of Students Rosemary
Peck.
In Atlanta, students couldn't wait
until they reached the school "I
didn't think bridge could be played
on a school bus, but they figured out
a way. They got in trouble with the
driver until he understood what they
were doing," said Hancock.
Gates and Buffett mingled with the
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2006
