March 2022 - 33

Never too late
By Sue Wales | Carmel IN
My mom, Noella Dion, is 103 years
old. She has played bridge for almost
70 years with my dad and her many
friends. When I retired from teaching
and decided to take bridge lessons,
Noella Dion and Sue Wales getting ready to play
I played regularly at the Indianapolis
Bridge Center where a teacher
introduced me to BBO. A few years
ago, I showed my mom how I could
play bridge on the computer whenever
I like. My mom had never used a
Can You Count to 100?
By Sue Young
Alma Lathem, a member of the La
Costa Glen Bridge Club in Carlsbad
CA, plays N-S at table No. 1 in three
ACBL-sanctioned games a week.
" She is a fine competitive player
who is polite and gracious to the
opponents and always willing to
play with and help newer players no
matter what they do, " said Norman
Schwartz, a Sapphire Life Master.
" She went on a cruise with me
where I taught a class on why we lead
the A from A-K, " Schwartz recalled.
But she disagreed.
" She told me, 'I have always led
the king from A-K and I have been
playing bridge longer than you have
been alive.' I really thought that was
something because I am in my 70s! "
Alma was born March 2, 1922.
She played bridge in her teens and
all through college. In her 30s, she
took duplicate lessons at the YMCA
Norman Schwartz and Alma Lathem at the
bridge table
computer and was not confident that
she ever could. However, she managed
to learn the basics of iPad use at
the age of 97. She would play on BBO,
randomly matched up with partners,
often playing several hours a day.
We played as partners occasionally,
but when COVID started, we
spent a lot more time at home.
Eventually, we began to play
bridge together most evenings
and have kept it up for the past
two years. Besides being good
bridge practice, it is also a reassuring
way for me to keep in
touch.
My mom is very independent
and still lives in her own home in
Pigeon MI. She stays with us during
the winter months, but we still keep
our " date " and play online in the evening.
I've learned a lot from my mom's
years of experience, and it has become
our daily entertainment.
American Bridge
Teachers' Association
E
r
The American Bridge
Teachers' Association
welcomes submissions
for our annual book and
technology awards.
Presentation will be made at
our annual convention,
to be held in conjunction
with the 2022 ACBL Summer
NABC in Providence RI.
Winners are determined
based on the value of the
product to bridge teachers
and/or students. A winner may
be selected in each of the
following categories:
Beginner/Novice
Book of the Year
Intermediate to Advanced
Book of the Year
and was hooked! She is a Silver Life
Master.
To celebrate, she is taking her
family on a 15-day Crystal Cruise to
the Caribbean. A " This is Your Life "
cocktail party will be held on her
100th birthday.
Software/Technology of the Year
(software, media, etc.)
Works published since
May 1, 2021, are eligible.
Reprints will not be
considered unless there
are substantial revisions.
Authors or publishers may
contact Awards Committee
chair, Karen Walker,
bookoftheyear@abtahome.com
for information on how to
submit an entry.
Entries close
on May 1, 2022.
March 2022 | Bridge Bulletin |
33
s
C
e
i
a
r
l
l
t
f
n
o
March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2022
