YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET YOUR WAY???
That is not necessarily true – when you exhaust all avenues until you find what you really need.
This pertains to the LV Sectional which has been getting to be old hat as discussed at length on my blog site for the last three weeks. However, Jay Baum, has agreed to have the episode reviewed in New Orleans by the original ruling committee on several of our complaints. The story is contained in the many blogs and comments about The Bastardization of Bridge.
Recently I was told by one of our administrators that all the directors ‘can’t have everything’ (bridge expertise, good director skills and the ability to make a ruling without getting into a fight with the players). Says who? They don’t have to be a world class player but they must have a clear understanding of the game, an easy going manner and be a good people-person when called to the table).
This calls to mind an incident which brings a huge smile to my lips. Back in August of 1987 (right before the crash), I hosted a huge 60th surprise birthday bash for Norman with about 150 in attendance. The Rosenkranzes flew in from Mexico – joining family, local friends and many famous buddies of Norman (with Edgar naturally presiding as MC, B. J. Becker, Alvin Roth, Lenny Harmon, Andy Gabrilovitch, Ivar Stakgold, Elaine Landy [widow of Alvin] , et al.).
Norman was speechless and as each guest appeared in the doorway, there were tears in his eyes. He hated to be the center of attention. Toughies! This was HIS DAY!. We enjoyed hearing tributes to Norman that ranged from the 50’s to that day, followed by cocktails and a sumptuous meal. However, to close the celebration, I planned something original.
At the time I was the owner of a successful wholesale baseball (sports memorabilia) business (and as good a service organization as any around, as we always satisfied our customers).We started in our home but moved to a 5,000 square foot office/warehouse and had many of my friends as full time employees. I wrote some ditties for the finale and the girl singers (three of the seven were at one time my bridge partners – Barbara Brier, Jane Segal and Helen Smith) came out donned in black tee shirts and slacks. The songs and the performance brought the house down – but I haven’t gotten to the point of my story. The front of the shirts bore the inscription in bold white letters. It said KAY’S BASEBALL CARDS, INC. That was all that was visible to the roaring audience. However, when the gals took their curtain calls, they turned around and on the reverse side of these black shirts were the following:
OUR MOTTO ….
SERVICE* QUALITY* PRICE*
*SELECT ANY TWO
Naturally, we DID provide all three and every good organization should – including our Unit and District. I never believed in settling for second best and I have Norman and Bobby to prove it!
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Your description was perfect.
I was at the party 23 years ago and the tee shirts were the hit of the event. You really have a talent for being original as you put your heart and soul into everything you do.
You tell it like it is — and that is always the best trail to follow.
Joanie
Joanie:
My sardonic comparison of the tee shirts from Norman’s party is just trying to show imperfection for what it is and that a person or group is expected to give 100% of themselves if hired to do a job.
Instead of being an ostrich and burying their shameful heads in the sand protecting each other, the ACBL should adapt a policy to be concerned with their customers, the paying public, not their directing staff who, in recent times, have made some very poor decisions.
It is time to change course and concentrate on what is good for the public — not the employees. It will be intersting to learn the results of the Orlando meeting to see if the powers that be change their thinking when they hear the ENTIRE story of what really happened on October 22nd in Las Vegas.
Judy
Rumor has it that the directors committee in Orlando will review our LV debacle where 2nd and 3rd changed places because of ill judgment of those calling the shots. I admire your persistence since you had won outright and it did not affect your first place finish.
Also, I hear the Educational Foundation (a branch of the ACBL) who holds the donated money will also be discussing the disputed use of Peter Pender’s endowment some 20 years ago. If your assertions are correct, it is never too late to go back and right the wrong.
Good for you for discovering and following up on a bequest over two decades old. Good luck. I hope they pick up the pieces and honor Peter Pender in some other more deserving fashion. The Pendergraph has long since been forgotten. Not the way to follow through on a $50,000 donation of a dying man.