WHEN PEGGY MET CHARLIE

Few in the bridge world actually know the backgrounds and the chance meeting and eventual marriage of these two individuals .. Peggy Mastbaum-Golder-Solomon and Charles J. Solomon (bridge luminaries with quite diverse histories) who found each other and happily spent the remainder of their adult lives together. This photo, unlike the other recent ones from my personal collection, was borrowed from a story I would like to share with you by an unknown author (interspersed with some of my own personal input):

Peggy Solomon was the daughter of movie magnate Jules E. Mastbaum, a Philadelphia philanthropist who donated the Rodin Museum, which was replicated in 1927 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.  Her first husband, Colonel Benjamin M. Golder, was a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature from 1916-1924 and was later elected to the U. S. House of Representatives  (1924-1933). He passed away on the last day of his term as the 1946 ACBL President at the age of 52 and was named Honorary Member of the Year in 1947.

Peggy grew up in a bridge environment as both of her parents played.   Because Ben was such an active individual, he was always on the go and encouraged Peggy to engulf herself in something to occupy her time.  She wanted to join the Women’s Bridge Team at her country club shortly before World War II, but was disappointed that she could only make the Third Flight Team.  She was determined to improve and decided to take lessons. Her first teacher was a Mrs. Evans, who was also teaching Nelson Eddy (of  “Naughty Marietta” fame) who was then a Philadelphia resident.  Peggy’s next teacher was a rising young star named Charles Goren who, at the time, only charged $5 a lesson.  (You can’t even play in a duplicate for five bucks these days).

One day as Peggy was walking by the Cavendish Club in Philadelphia, she met Charlie Solomon (a confirmed bachelor at the time), who stopped and introduced himself to the Widow Golder.  Following a few minutes of casual conversation, he invited her to play sometime.  She was thrilled.   After all, she was a novice and he was an established star.  As a first-time partnership,  they placed 36th out of 36 pairs.  However,  Peggy was undaunted and undeterred.    Charlie Solomon then became her mentor in bridge and as the kibitzers predicted, they married in 1948.  After a few years of practice and tutoring, she became one of the nation’s top-ranked female bridge players.  Peggy was the third woman to earn the rank of Life Master (after Helen Sobel and Sally Young). She won nine and placed second in eleven North American Championships. In 1960, the Solomons were featured in a newspaper article headlined “The Solomons:  Top Married Bridge Team.”

The title they earned brought to mind a funny offshoot I wanted to share with you.   Back in San Antonio sometime in the late sixties, in the middle of the night the phone rang.  Bobby (who was a World War II history buff) was awakened by a man’s booming voice, shouting excitedly, “We’re advancing on the Solomons!” –  “We’re advancing on the Solomons!”  The first thought that entered his sleepy mind was that our American Forces were moving toward the Solomon Islands in the Pacific.  Suddenly he came to  his senses and realized it was Ozzie Jacoby calling him from a distant tournament to share the good news:   Ozzie and his wife, Mary Zita, were now the second place wedded couple in the ACBL Masterpoint Race – not far behind the likes of the Solomons!

Charlie died suddenly in 1975 (leaving all his country clubs up for grabs – a situation which I alluded to in an earlier blog).  Peggy survived him by twenty years and will always be remembered as one of the loveliest ladies to ever grace the Philadelphia bridge scene.  A grand dame – in every sense of the word!