Alaska is extremely beautiful, with vistas that go for miles, and abstractly, kind of compares to a lot of those 2 club openers you occasionally get. Every one is exciting, beautiful, awe inspiring, but not quite the same as the last one you saw. The drive up was wonderful, the fishing terrific, and the flight home via United was on time and not canceled! (Lucky me.)

Our new Unit Board members have been elected, and names and offices appear elsewhere in this issue. Congratulations to all, and I look forward to working with you. I want to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to you, the departing Board Members for a truly great job: Elaine Erickson who was our past Sectional Coordinator, Mike Braun our 99er Coordinator, Morris "Mojo" Jones our Education Liaison, Trish McConnell one of our District 21 Representatives, and Sabina Siem our Sergeant at Arms.

I came home to find I’d been reelected President again . . . . . That will teach me to go on vacation during Unit elections. Actually, I’ve enjoyed the interaction with you all, and look forward to further improving bridge and our Unit. How, you ask? Well, keep reading and see some of the new things we have coming up.

We have heard many complaints about cellular phones being used at the tables during the games. The Board has decided to support those club owners who want to ban cell phones at the tables during game time, and to make Unit Games and Sectionals cellular free zones as well. It is our feeling that calls can be made between rounds in the hallway, away from the tables, so that those playing will not be distracted.

We have another EasyBridge! class that started Wednesday, September 13 at 2:30 P.M. and will be ongoing every week, so get the novices out to Jeanne Becht’s class. This course will teach someone how to play whose knowledge of cards is they come in a deck or pack or something. You all must know somebody that would love to learn how to play bridge.

We also have another EasyBridge! course starting right after the first of the year. Faye Parsons will be instructing that one. Look for the exact starting date in a future edition.

The 22nd-24th of September will be our Sectional. Look for a brochure at the club. If you can’t find one, please let me or another Board member know . . . . especially Phyllis Vierra, who is our new Sectional Coordinator. Thanks.

We also have World Champion Peter Weichsel speaking at the Sectional on "Two suited bids." Look for him on Saturday, September 23rd at 12:15 P.M. Since he last spoke at our last Sectional, his team won the Bermuda Bowl and Spingold, with the help of Rose Meltzer-Johnson. Exciting to have those wins for our Unit!

Quick, order one of the shirts you see posted on the wall at the club, and pick your color if you don't want white! We may also try them again for our next Sectional.

We also have a new Friday Night game, with Will Watson directing. If you don't know Will yet, you will soon. He is new to our Unit this year and has been hauling in the master points. At the Santa Clara All Western Regional last week, he placed 2nd in the 2 day four Session Open event, and in Sacramento was on the winning team in another 2 day 4 Session event. Sounds like over a hundred points last month alone!

Our next Board meeting is Wednesday, October 4th at 5:30 P.M. If you have anything you would like to say, or would just like to see us in action, please feel free to stop by and have a slice of pizza.

See you at the tables.

New Mentor Program

Starting in early October, Unit 507 will be offering a Mentor Program to help some of our up-and-coming players improve their game. Interested players will be matched with a Life Master who will play with them once a month and be available to help with bridge questions. There has already been a great deal of interest expressed by many of our Novice and Intermediate players, and many of our local expert players have already volunteered to act as mentors.

If you’re a Life Master and are willing to contribute one bridge session a month to help a newer player, or if you’re a non-Life Master and would like to take advantage of the experience of one of our expert players, please sign up at the San Jose Bridge Center or contact Lynn Yokel at (408) 374-4669, lyokel@sprynet.com.

8/7 Ernest English - Virginia English (A)

Timothy White - Mostafa Hafezi (A)

Maxine Lubow - Ray Lubow (B/C)

Coline Maclean - Madie Horton (B)

8/14 Steve Bosma - Kenneth Kenfield (A)

Glenda Ciochon - Tina Pearson (A)

Ray Yuenger - Lynn Yokel (B)

Bert Hsu - Ron Parker (C)

8/21 Dolores Clinch - Jack Clinch (A)

Daniel Gildenberg - Bill Coke (A/B)

Maxine Lubow - Ray Lubow (B/C)

8/28 Andrew Wulfhorst - Paul Amato (A/B/C)

Kenneth Kenfield - Steve Bosma (tie)

Mostafa Hafezi - Elaine Erickson (tie)

8/7 Mike Sullivan - Hiram Shen

Ray Crist - Robin Velte (tie)

R Randolph - Shirley Anderson (tie)

8/14 John Clooser - William Bidermann

Sarv Thakur - Vinod Thukral

8/21 Jim Tseng - Ken Lai

Robin Velte - Alexander Tampilang

8/28 Joan Simpson - Mike Braun 65.63%

Bob Elliott - Bruce Bajema

8/1 Jyme Schmeider - Charlie Dorn (A)

Mostafa Hafezi - Ivan Rose (A)

Jean Power - Squeak Conner (B)

8/8 Bonnie Beardsley - Pat Chambers (A)

Robert Jonesi - Doris Oelberg (A/B)

8/15 Candy Wentworth - Earl Wentworth 70.83% (A/B)

8/22 Barbara Farmer - Steve Bosma (A)

Cackalani Krishnamurthi - Vasanth Krishnamurthi (B/C)

8/29 Kit Humphrey - Tania Moalem

8/1 Frank Lowenthal - Bruce Luttrell 65.53% (A)

Ed Barlow - Barbara Barlow (A)

Josephine Cooley - Paul Nelson (B)

Kao Toa Yeung - Victor Rivkin (B)

8/8 Tim Sturge - Will Watson (A/B)

Robert Ritz - Mike Cailean (A/B)

Nelson Lu - Tony Staw (C)

8/15 Jim Craig - Alan Becker (A)

George Humphrey - Dan Turkus (A/B)

8/22 Derek Fiero - Teddi Fiero 65.74% (A/B/C)

Patricia Hannah - Robert Ritz (A)

Sabina Siem - Rita Tingley (B)

8/2 Bill Coke - John Brown

8/9 Read Kitson - Florence Switzer (tie)

Barbara Barlow - Dolores Clinch (tie)

8/16 Candy Wentworth - Jeanne Becht

8/23 James Chan - Charlie Dorn

8/2 Frank Lowenthal - Gary McGregor (A)

Bob Bates - E Hansen (A/B)

Neal Webb - Annette Powers (B)

8/9 Bill Langlois - George Humphrey (A)

Bob Bates - E Hansen (A/B)

8/16 Srinivasan Ravindran - Dana Brown (A/B)

Victor Rivkin - Stan Wicka (C)

8/23 Marshall Yancey - Jack Verson 65.31% (A)

Melinda Foos - George Pledger (A/B/C)

Paul Chestnut - Jeffrey Hack (B)

8/2 Mostafa Hafezi - Bill Aherns

Anne Struthers - Elaine Erickson

8/9 Don Hayden - Ruthann Critchfield

Abby Aldecoa - Larry Miller

8/16 Shirley Anderson - Jurii Klonizchii

Anne Struthers - Elaine Erickson

8/23 Ray Crist - Hiram Shen

Mostafa Hafezi - Bill Aherns

8/3 Pat Hannah - Art Fonda

Charlie Dorn - Ted Richmond

8/10 Barbara Farmer - Barbara Harkleroad

Dolores Clinch - Jack Clinch

8/17 Donna Lenihan - Squeak Conner

Charlie Dorn - N Hatfield

8/24 Sharon Mann - Judy Fisher

Kathleen Keener - Barbara Harkleroad

8/3 Charlie James - Will Watson (A)

John Prior - Hiram Shen (B/C)

8/10 Ray Yuenger - Neal Webb 68.45%

8/24 Bill Keckler - Joyce Keckler (A/B/C)

8/3 Mike Sullivan - Dana Scott (A)

Joan Rouse - Robert Rouse (A/B)

8/10 Alexander Tampilang - Phyllis Vierra (A)

Ayman Shahin - Tammieh Vernon (A/B)

8/17 Ayan Banerjee - Ashok Vittal (A/B)

Amanda Stone - Robin Velte (tie) (A/B)

Charles Reinthaler - Frank Napolitan (tie) (A)

8/24 Beverly Nelson - Lucy Burke (A/B)

Billie Untiedt - Thelma Brothers (A/B)

8/4 H Zoellner - Ron Laffen

Shih-Ming Shih - Gigi Spinazze

8/11 Louis Martin, Jr - Harvey Lindauer

L. W. Lee - Karel Wong

8/18 Joseph Poppo - Arno Lauterbach

Maureen Ellenberg - Ruth Sporer

8/25 Karel Wong - L. W. Lee

Albert Lyew - Mike Braun

8/5 Margaret Lamey - Jean Bogosian

Wesley Woo - Richard Dorff

8/12 Ray Crist - Hiram Shen

Frank Napolitan - Ursula Gueldner

8/20 Edwin Seputis - Teresa Seputis 71.26%

Hiram Shen - Jewel Schimke

8/27 Bill Traver - Donald Perry 66.67%

Shih-Ming Shih - Gigi Spinazze

(Some games were canceled due to the Santa Clara

regional)