Jack Murphy achieved the rank of Life Master at the June, 2019 Gold Rush Regional. He only needed a few gold points and I was pleased that he earned them right here in Cedar Rapids at our first ever Gold Rush Regional. I admire Jack for many reasons: He is a true student of the game, taking lessons, using the hand records, discussing with his partners and even creating practice drills for his computer. Early on, he started playing “up”, not being intimidated by better players, but willing to learn from and play with them. He epitomizes what a duplicate bridge player should be: a learner, an achiever, an encourager, a teacher, and a good cookie eater.
The picture is from the party Build Better Bridge had for Jack on July 15.
MaryAnn Boardman
Here is what Jack has to say about his bridge playing career:
I have played social bridge most of my adult life. Early on I played some duplicate but gave it up many years ago mostly because I never found a compatible partner. Then about 7 years ago, when a friend said he wanted to try duplicate, I offered to go with him. I was pleasantly surprised that duplicate has changed a lot over the years, and for the better. I was then very fortunate in finding a partner who was a both a good player and wonderful mentor. Initially I had no ambitions to reach Life Master rank, but our club director was quite encouraging. Obtaining the required gold points was my major challenge. At the Coralville regional tournament in 2018 I was on a strong team with partners Connie Hellenthal and Mona Bertrand, and with teammates Jim Boardman Jr. and Jack Falat. Most of my gold points were won there. I also received gold points with partners Jim Loehrlein, MaryAnn Boardman, John Knodle, and Richard Goings. For me it was quite unexpected that duplicate bridge has become an important part of my life in retirement.