Governance

Dudley Brown (1935 – 2025)

A legacy of service.

We are grieving the loss of our friend, partner, teacher and mentor.
Dudley Brown, a founder of District 19, served on the District Board of Directors for over 50 years until stepping down recently due to health issues. District records date back to 1973, and he was a continuous presence.

Dudley served on the ACBL National Board of Directors from 1989 to 1998 and was the President of the National Board in 1996.
He was a Platinum Life Master holding 14,764.93 masterpoints; he finished second in the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs in 1998.

After a career with the military, he remained very active in the American Legion serving as Commander of the post in his area.

For decades he attended every regional in the District and every sectional in eastern Washington, perhaps missing a day only when there was a conflict with a symphony for which he had season tickets.

Dudley was a superior player and among his peers a fierce competitor, but he would partner with a new player with great kindness and gentle encouragement.

He touched hundreds of lives and left us better for having known him.

Remembrances:

• Dudley had many, many partners over the years. A few of his favorites include Tom Edwards, Dick Maison, Matt Koltnow, Edith DeShaw, Mary Egan, Leonard McGrath, Carol and Duane Christensen, Gard Hays, Marilyn Steele and Jane Hunt, though I’m sure some names are missing here.

• Along with championing bridge for so many years he was a very large part of my bridge development. Cannot say enough about what he meant to me.

• He was responsible for my renewed interest in Bridge – taking lessons from him

• So sorry he’s gone. I liked him a lot.

• I am new to the club but the first member of our club I met was Dudley. His kindness allowed me to learn a game he supported and played so well.

• He was a very special man.

• When I moved to the area in 2005, I was advised to get in touch with Dudley – the bridge “master” of the Yakima Valley. He opened me to friendships and Symphony. I can’t say enough about his generosity and kindness.

• Dudley was generous with sharing his insights to our game. It seemed I learned something new every time I played with him. Admittedly, I was in awe of the man’s intellect. Now he is gone but never forgotten.

• We were so fortunate to have had his expertise of and devotion to bridge for so long.

• I have enjoyed his presence at the bridge table for the past 60+/- years. I will miss him.

• Dudley not only helped me enjoy duplicate, but he was a good friend. Last year he came to our church for my husband’s memorial. I will miss him.

• Dudley is playing bridge at the BIG table – sitting North.

• Dudley was so incredibly kind to me when I first started going to tournaments and was always encouraging and would give me advice and tips when he thought it would help my game. He will be missed.

• He was always kind and had a good word to say. I’m sure all will miss him.

• So sorry about Dudley, he was a Rockstar.

• Dudley served this district so well for so many years. He was also a fearless and accomplished competitor, willing to accommodate all who played with him.

Tim White, National Director for Region 13, sends us his report following the ACBL Board of Directors spring meeting in Louisville.

The report is found on our ACBL Board of Directors page, as are the previous ones.

Tim White, National Director for Region 13, sends us this report following the ACBL Board of Directors fall meeting in Atlanta.

The report is also available on our ACBL Board of Directors page, as are the previous ones.

David Schmidt, July 14, 1950 – November 20, 2023

David George Schmidt was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia and grew up on a farm in the Fraser Valley.  He earned a BA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.  David was a past president of the BC Farm Writers Association and a past director and president of the Canadian Farm Writers Federation and is editor emeritus of Country Life in BC.  He was named BC’s Agriculturist of the Year in 2000 and received the Canadian Farm Writers Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

His business provided personal and small business tax services in British Columbia.

David loved duplicate bridge.  He joined the ACBL in 1978 and was a Sapphire Life Master.  He gave back to the game he enjoyed ― for more than two decades as a board member and treasurer for District 19.

David is remembered by duplicate players throughout the northwest for his intense play, good humor, and willingness to help.

Tim White, National Director for Region 13, sends us this report following the ACBL Board of Directors fall meeting in Phoenix at the end of November. The report is also available on our ACBL Board of Directors page, along with the previous ones.

The ACBL Board of Directors held its spring meetings face-to-face from March 8 to 11 in Reno, NV. Find the report on our ACBL Board of Directors page, under Governance.

As he undertakes his new mandate, Region 13 Director Tim White has sent out a letter to all Region 13 members (or at least those who have a valid email address registered with ACBL) explaining how he sees his role and priorities over the next three years.

If you haven’t received it, you can read it here.

On January 1, 2022, Tim White officially became Regional Director for ACBL Region 13, which comprises Districts 18 and 19.

He sends us a very comprehensive report from the National Board Meeting in Austin which you can download as a pdf here
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Two items may be of particular interest to clubs and players:

1) Improvements in information technology, including:

• Completing the tournament event pre-registration system.
• Moving Trax application to cloud-based application.
• Moving ACBLScore to a web-based application.

2) A revamped convention card, debuting mid 2022 and featuring these changes:

• Seldom-used conventions have been removed and commonly-used conventions added.
• Recent changes in alerts and announcements are reflected.
• The One Club and One Diamond open bid sections have been expanded, providing more room to address different minor suit openings.
• The right side of the card has been reorganized, with bids shown in ascending order of strain

The new card can be downloaded here.

Tim White, currently a board member of D19, as well as District Director will be assuming new duties on January 1, 2022 as Regional Director for Region 13, which comprises Districts 18 and 19.

Last year, ACBL announced it was revising its governance structure, with the board of directors being downsized to 13 positions from the current 25.

The Board of Directors is the governing body of the ACBL, by 2024 consisting of a Regional Director elected from each of 13 regions. During 2020, the 25 districts were reorganized into 13 regions (district boundaries remain unchanged). In 2021, one Regional Director from each of eight regions (one of them being Region 13) was elected for a three-year or four-year term. The Board of Directors holds three regular meetings each year and makes policy decisions for the ACBL. Between meetings, committee activities and constant intercommunication among Board members and ACBL management keep the Board up to date on important matters.