September 2019 - 15

brilliant at the game. As we got older,
we played together rarely, but I once
asked him to play in a national mixed
pairs with me. He said no at first, but
I kept at him, so he said that we could
play, but that if our score after the
first session wasn't above average, we
would withdraw. I agreed. So we played
and had a nice set: a 69%. Michael,
however, insisted that we withdraw.
When I objected - we were well above
average - he said that average for us
was 72%! And we withdrew."
Boyd was presented by longtime
partner Steve Robinson.
"We started playing in 1980. At that
time, I was six feet tall and had a full
head of hair," joked the diminutive,
balding Robinson, who went on to tell
many stories of the partnership's successes and failures over the years.
"Peter is a highly intelligent, fully
educated man, and it has been my
pleasure to play with him for the past
39 years."
Boyd, a 17-time NABC champion
and former world champion, opened
his remarks by praising his wife, Ellen
Klosson, who he met through bridge.
The couple plays together infrequently,
but the relationship has a place of primacy in Boyd's life.
"Bridge is my social world, and it
gives me a great sense of accomplish-

Patty Tucker joins the 2019 Hall of Fame
class as the winner of the Blackwood Award
for contributions to the game.

ment. My day job exists merely to support my bridge habit."
Boyd thanked Robinson for choosing
to play with him four decades ago, and
he noted that Robinson was right when
he says that bridge is a game, and that
everyone should have fun.
Bob Hamman presented 17-time
NABC champion Bramley. Hamman
said that Bramley's record speaks for
itself. "Bart's an excellent player, and
this honor is long overdue."
Bart's brother, Richard Bramley, was
a co-presenter, and he regaled the audience with tales from their childhood.
"I realized early on that I wasn't going to be as smart as Bart. He got the
brains, but I got the looks," Richard
joked. He wrapped up his remarks
by saying, "I'm very proud of my big
brother."
Bart began his remarks by discussing
his parents.
"I got interested in bridge by watching my dad play with three other men
when I was 5. I was hooked by the time
I was 10, the year my father died. My
mother was a reluctant participant
early on, but got addicted later."
Bramley joined the ACBL in 1965
while attending MIT in Cambridge MA.
"It was the last generation saturated
with bridge players," he said, reeling off
a list of players from his college years,
before pointing out one in particular
- Ken Lebensold - who was in attendance.
"Ken was a fully formed player even
at 22, but he happily shared his knowledge. His influence on us was profound."
As Bramley advanced as a player, he
played with many of the game's greats.
Early on, he met Vic Mitchell (also a
Hall of Famer) who, in turn, introduced
Bramley to other top players.
"Vic started me in pro bridge. Later,
I partnered Lou Bluhm, the first truly
great player I ever played with. I also
partnered Hugh Ross, John Sutherlin
and Sidney Lazard. Sidney was the
greatest man I've ever known; he was
magnificent in every respect."
Among Bramley's partners who are

Michael Seamon,
who died in
January 2017, is
inducted into the
Hall of Fame as
winner of the von
Zedtwitz Award,
recognizing
bridge achievements.

still alive today, he mentioned several,
including Ross Grabel, with whom he
won his first NABC title in 1980; Bob
Hamman, a great friend and also his
boss for 16 years; and Kit Woolsey,
"who's never boring."
Bramley also thanked his wife, Judy.
"I couldn't have done any of this
without her. She's been with me for all
of my greatest achievements in bridge
and life. Judy has always been my biggest fan."
Four-time world champion and
16-time NABC winner Radin was copresented by longtime friend and partner, Valerie Westheimer, and by her
husband, Michael Radin. Both praised
Judi for her role as a top player - not
just a top female player.
"Judi is a pioneer in women's bridge
and in getting respect for women in the
game," said Michael.
Judi spent much of her acceptance
speech detailing the many great relationships she's had in the game, starting with ex-husband John Solodar.
"John was my first boyfriend. He
brought me to New York, got me students to play with so that I could pay
for my education, and introduced me
to several important people, such as
Kathie Wei-Sender.
Her teammates at the women's world
championships included greats of the
game such as Gail Greenberg, Jacqui
Mitchell, Carol Sanders, Betty Ann
Kennedy, Lynn Deas and Beth Palmer.
"I've been very lucky playing with
great clients and friends over the years.
I've dreamed about being in the Hall of
Fame for many years, but I thought it
was never going to come. Tonight, you
completed all my bridge dreams."
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September 2019 Bridge Bulletin

September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2019