October 2012 - 67

Millard Nachtwey 1953-2012

Top director lauded by peers for organizational wizardry.
ACBL National Tournament Director Millard Nachtwey died at his home in Silver
Spring MD on Aug. 3 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 58.
Nachtwey, a well-known figure to players at Mid-Atlantic Bridge Conference
regionals, served as director-in-charge of the Fall North American Bridge Championships for more than a decade. He is survived by Doug Grove, his life partner of
40 years and a fellow National Tournament Director.
Born in Washington DC, Nachtwey grew up in Bethesda MD. He attended Bucknell University where he earned a B.A. in English. It was there, in January of 1972,
that he met Grove.
Nachtwey began his directing career in the early Seventies. He operated his own
photo by Jonathan Steinberg
club, Millard's Bridge Studio, from 1978 until the fall of 1983, when he began to
direct tournaments full time. His reputation as a master of tournament operations quickly grew, and he became the
chief director for the MABC, a position he held for nearly 20 years. In that capacity, he was frequently consulted for
his expertise on how to run tournaments.
Associate National TD Terry Lavender of Arlington VA worked with Nachtwey for many years.
"When Millard looked at a convention ballroom when planning an event, he didn't see an empty space. He could
see where every section would be, where every table would go, where the buffers between sections would go, and
so on. He was a mechanical genius," she said.
According to Lavender, one of Nachtwey's favorite tasks was fixing fouled movements, such as when the wrong
set of boards got played.
"Millard was always able to unscramble a mess. He loved creating unusual movements to straighten things out. He
was a great talent and a good boss. It was a dream working with him."
Gary Zeiger, a National TD from Phoenix AZ and Nachtwey's top assistant at the Fall NABCs, said, "Even though
Millard was expert in so many areas, he never lost interest in my input. He treated the opinions of his staff with
respect, and he showed faith in their decisions."
Away from the tournament scene, Nachtwey was a skilled cook and fan of the stage.
"Millard always appreciated the excitement of live theater," said Grove.

Philadelphia Board of Directors Meeting Highlights
The ACBL Board of Directors held meetings prior to the Summer NABC in Philadelphia. Some of the decisions are highlighted below.
Strategic Plan
It is the intent of the Board of Directors to continue development of the
Strategic Plan. Further, the Board of Directors directs ACBL management
to work with the President to develop and finalize the Strategic Plan for
presentation to and review by the Finance Committee and the full Board
at the Fall 2012 Meeting of the Board, utilizing the following guidance:
Mission: To promote and sustain the game of bridge and serve the
bridge-related interests of our members
Vision: We will be a growing, thriving organization that actively meets
the diverse needs of our members and bridge players.
Strategic Focus Areas (in order of priority):
1. Develop and implement focused programs for member recruitment
2. Identify and replicate best practices & innovations
3. Integrate technology to meet member needs
4. Retain more members
5. Provide top-quality directing at tournaments

The Election Procedures for both District-wide elections (such as for
District Director) and Hall of Fame elections were amended to allow online
voting by email.
The ACBL hereby establishes a Grass Roots Fund (see pg. 62).
When a sectional (excluding STaCs) or higher rated event is being
conducted within 25 miles of a club game's playing site, the club is permitted to hold only its regularly scheduled club masterpoint games (i.e.,
no special games). This regulation does not apply to Limited/Restricted
Sectionals.
Playing directors in STaC games and their partners are ineligible
to receive overall STaC masterpoint (silver point) awards, but are
eligible to receive section awards. Effective Jan. 1, 2013.
The Conditions of Contest for extended Unit team games were
amended to allow up to two substitutes per match, even if the team
already has six members.
All residency requirements and requests for exceptions shall also
apply to players augmented onto GNT teams.
October 2012 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2012