February 2020 - 7

➺ InBox
Our duties

I just read the letter titled "Not my
problem" in the November issue of
the Bridge Bulletin. I was shocked.
I believe that as bridge players, and
as human beings, our "duty" goes far
beyond the bridge game. We all have
a responsibility for the environment.
We're lucky to have the "right" to play
bridge, but not in a cocoon.
JO LINDAMOOD
Scottsdale AZ
In reference to the letters about "going green," I'd like to comment about
the one by the player who said that she
had no duty in this regard except to
abide by the rules of the game. That is
a true statement, but there are some
other truths that I'd like to note.
In our club in Hendersonville NC,
we see more and more people bringing
their own reusable drinking vessels,
and we have bins clearly marked for
items that can be recycled. Baby steps.
The club in Brevard NC went green
three years ago, despite a cost being
involved. Bravo!
There are always going to be some
who say, "I'm too lazy" or "I'm too old
to be bothered." Freedom of speech
and action need to be alive and well.
Perhaps each person can simply
consider another truth for a moment:
We are all citizens of this magnificent
planet Earth, and with that comes the
responsibility and privilege of taking
care of it.
DARCEY ROSE
Hendersonville NC

Send the elevator back down

I believe that the decline in membership as noted in the Message from the
President (December, pg. 9) is not only
due to attrition, but also because I find
the "elevator" stays at the top in the
local club.

Letters to the Editor

Because I can no longer navigate the
parking lots or convention centers at
tournaments, I found that the Regional
at Sea on the Caribbean was my chance
to finish my Life Master requirements
at age 82. I finally celebrated earning
my 25th gold point with Larry Cohen
on the cruise, and I had enough points
that I even became a Bronze Life Master.
Now I am back to playing in the club
game of 12 to 18 tables with the same
winners who play with the same partners winning the daily games. If only
the players at the top would play once a
week with those of us with 500 to 1000
masterpoints who make up the bulk of
the attendance and provide these top
players with the opportunity to earn
more points.
I find an occasional 1500 MP limited game in which I feel that I can
compete, but why can't there be more
pro-am or limited club games?
When you get to the top in your field,
you should send the elevator back
down to help those on the climb up.
DELORA BURKHART
Belleair Beach FL/Plainfield IN

Remembering Lilie

I was very sad when I read that
Harold Lilie died (December, pg. 50). I
began playing bridge in my junior year
at college. I played low stakes rubber
bridge, not club or tournament bridge.
When I returned to New York, I had
no idea that there were money bridge
clubs, so I wandered into a duplicate
bridge club and told the director that I
was looking for a game. He told me to
wait and returned a few moments later
with a partner for me. His name was
Harold Lilie.
We began playing together, and he
eventually brought me to a money
bridge club run by Joel Stuart, one of
the original members of the Precision

Club team. We continued to play duplicate, but I really wanted to play money
bridge, and he wanted to break into
the tournament scene. One night after
we played a session, he told me that he
had been approached by a well-known
tournament player named Merle Tom,
and he wanted to pursue that path. He
certainly succeeded in his quest.
We lost contact after he moved to
Las Vegas, but I smiled every time I
read about his multiple successes.
Most people do not get to live their
dream. Well done, my friend!
TONY ALESSANDRINI
Brooklyn NY

Gender studies

I have just returned home after
spending four days playing in the San
Francisco Fall NABC. My comments
have likely been expressed by others
before, but I just want to inquire about
it because it is fresh in my mind.
Being a product of a liberal UC
Berkeley education back in the early
'70s when the women's movement
was prevalent, I was amazed to return
to the Bay Area and witness that the
ACBL still hosts women-only events.
Not only do they still sponsor these
contests, but modern women do not
seem to have any issue about it. Wow,
back in my days at Berkeley, if I offered
a woman my seat on the bus, I was
called out as a sexist. What happened
to those Bay Area women?
Beyond the fact that I don't see a
place within the ACBL for womenonly events, because I respect women's

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.

February 2020 Bridge Bulletin

7
February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2020
