August 2018 - 7

➺ InBox
Exception to the rule

Playing bridge at St. Catherine's
club in West Palm Beach is a pleasure.
The space is beautiful, the bidding
boxes and the cards always seem new,
and most importantly, the games are
expertly managed by our wonderful
director, Julie Jarow.
Julie runs a tight ship, and we appreciate the rules that she enforces. For
example, nothing is more distracting
during a match than a cell phone ringing, except someone actually answering it. At Saint Cat's we have a policy to
discourage this behavior, and a $ 1 fine
is payable to charity for each infraction.
Recently, however, Julie carved out
an appropriate exception. Miriam
Lerman, a healthy, avid and active
player, was celebrating her 100th
birthday. After we sang "Happy
Birthday" and enjoyed a delicious cake,
we continued our game. Suddenly, a
cell phone rang loud and clear. It was
Miriam's, and in a shocking disregard
for protocol, she put down her cards
and answered it. We were stunned,
until Julie announced that if you are
100 years old, it is OK for your phone to
ring, and if you are 100 years old and it
is your birthday, you can answer it.
SUSANNE DURST
Katonah NY

Big trees, big fun

On a recent visit to Sequoia National Park, we decided to stop and play
some bridge at the nearby Visalia CA
Sectional. What a wonderful bridge
tournament! The facilities, especially
the beautiful Lakes Clubhouse, were
terrific. The hospitality was top-notch,
the food was great, the staff was very
friendly and welcoming, and Nancy
Boyd did an excellent job of directing.
(Of course, our winning two open pairs
added to the enjoyment!)

Letters to the Editor

We even had an opportunity to tour
the area and play some golf at the lovely (and reasonably priced) Valley Oaks
Golf Course. We certainly look forward
to returning to Visalia next year.
EDDIE ROSE and ANN GILLESPIE
Laguna Niguel CA

Remembering kindness

I was saddened to read about Mary
Oshlag (June, pgs. 26-27). I met Mary
and Richard my first year of learning
bridge on a cruise where they were
running the bridge program. They
were both so nice. I was happy when I
saw their picture in the Bridge Bulletin when they won the 2011 Truscott/
USPC Senior Swiss Teams.
It was a memorable experience for
me on the cruise. Mary and Richard
welcomed me even though I was a real
novice at that time. The other players were very nice also, as most bridge
players are. We all have to learn from
the beginning, so having nice people to
help you along sure makes a big difference.
ARLENE LOCA
Afton MI

Fix it

In regards to the tragic story of Mary
Oshlag and the downhill slide she has
taken from the devastating effects of
Alzheimer's, I was struck by something her husband Richard reported.
In her last good time period when she
was able to continue to enjoy her daily
bridge games, keeping her mind, body
and spirit going, Mary was prevented
from playing bridge on certain days because she had too many masterpoints.
That's a terrible shame. Part of the
story was that the minute she stopped
playing bridge, it was like the light
switch in her life was turned off.
This is not a good reflection on the

bridge community's effort to battle
Alzheimer's. Surely we can do better.
Most likely, the club's hands were tied.
Perhaps a think tank can be formed to
overcome the red tape involved in making medical exceptions regarding club
games. It made me very sad to think
that a lovely and vibrant lady such as
Mary - or many thousands of others -
are forced to the sidelines because of
masterpoints and not allowed to live
out their lives enjoying the game that
has kept them going. We need to be
more inclusive in times of need. Please
find a way to overcome this obstacle.
BILLY MILLER
Las Vegas NV

Platinum, schmatinum

I disagree with Theo Lichtenstein's
Letter to the Editor in the June issue suggesting that a platinum point
should be one of the requirements for
Life Master status.
The majority of bridge players value
politeness, respectful remarks and just
plain decency. I recall when my husband and I - each of us with just a few
black points - attended our first NABC
several years ago. A gentleman of great
skill, as I was later told by a director,
gave me a compliment on a nice play
I had made. It was probably the only
one of the day, but I was thrilled and
inspired!
There is a reason for Law 74
(Conduct and Etiquette). There is a
reason we look forward to Bill Buttle's
monthly cartoon. Things like this
promote enjoyment of the game.
Another good reason for playing bridge
is that it enhances mental health.
There are many reasons to play. So
Letters to the editor are welcome by regular mail and email.
Brevity is considered a virtue, as is subject matter with relevance
to a majority of ACBL members. Unsigned letters are not
considered for publication, so please include your name and
hometown. Letters may be edited. All letters will receive a
response. Send emails to editor@acbl.org.

August 2018 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2018