TO EDGAR .. WITH LOVE (1925-1997)

When Edgar Kaplan not unexpectedly passed away in 1997, Gail Greenberg was gracious enough to offer her beautiful “Honors” Bridge Club as the site of a memorial.   Friends came from far and wide to honor their dear friend.   The service was arranged by Joan Gerard, Gail, Edgar’s sister-in-law Sylvia Kaplan, and yours truly.   I requested, assembled and printed the comments and tributes from dozens of friends and admirers.   Since there are too many to include, I took the liberty of selecting those who are now in that big bridge game in the sky looking down along with Edgar:  They were printed in the order they arrived at my home.  One day when I have time, I will print the “living contributors” as well which, thank heavens, encompasses many more celebrities:

DEAR EDGAR:    FOR 40 YEARS I HAVE BEEN HEARING THAT NORMAN KAY IS THE NICEST GUY IN THE WORLD.   WITH ALL THE ACCOLADES YOU HAVE RECEIVED SINCE YOUR DEATH, I THINK MAYBE NORMAN WAS MERELY THE SECOND NICEST GUY IN THE WORLD.   /S/ BILL ROOT

I WAS ALWAYS DISAPPOINTED THAT EDGAR NEVER WON A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.  EDGAR WAS A GREAT PLAYER WHOM I NEVER UNDERRATED  WHENEVER I PLAYED AGAINST HIM, I KNEW I WAS ALWAYS IN FOR A BATTLE UNTIL THE LAST CARD WAS PLAYED AND THE SCORECARD MARKED.

HIS FIGHTING SPIRIT ALMOST CARRIED THE BATTLE.   THE BRIDGE WORLD HAS LOST ONE OF ITS  GREAT PEOPLE.  PERSONALLY,  I AM GOING TO MISS HIM.  /S/ PAUL SOLOWAY

FOR OVER 50 YEARS WE WERE NOT ONLY FRIENDS BUT STRONGLY BOUND TO EACH OTHER BY OUR MUTUAL LOVE OF BRIDGE, COMPETED OFTEN AGAINST EACH OTHER AND UNFORTUNATELY  LOST AND PLAYED IN A FEW WORLD CHAMPIOMSHIPS.   WHEN WE MEET AGAIN IN THE ‘HIGHWAY IN THE SKY’  THAT WILL BE OUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.   A FOND FAREWELL.   /S/ ALVIN ROTH

PLAING ON A TEAM WITH NORMAN AND EDGAR WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST HIGHLIGHTS OF MY LIFE .   I THINK EDGAR HAS GIVEN MORE TO BRIDGE THAN ANYONE IN THE BRIDGE WORLD.  IF THERE WAS SUCH A TITLE IN BRIDGE AS AN ‘ALL AMERICAN,’ EDGAR WOULD FIT THE BILL.    /S/ BOB JORDAN

ALL THE ACCOLADES, PANACHE AND WORDS OF PRAISE COULD NEVER DO EDGAR JUSTICE!!  THE WORLD HAS LOST A REMARKABLE INDIVIDUAL AND I HAVE LOST A BLESSED TREASURE, FOR HE WAS …… MY FRIEND.  /S/ RUTH McCONNELL

THE BRIDGE WORLD WILL ALWAYS BE IN AWE OF EDGAR KAPLAN’S ABILITIES AS A PLAYER, WRITER, MODERATOR, PUBLISHER AND ADMINISTRATOR.   IT’S A PHASE OF THIS LAST NAMED SKILL THAT IMPRESSED ME THE MOST THROUGH THE YEARS.

IF YOU EVER NEEDED A CLARIFICATION OF A COMPLEX LAW OR A RULING, OR AN ETHICAL SITUATION, EDGAR WAS THE PERSON TO SEEK OUT   HIS ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATIONS WERE THE VERY BEST AVAILABLE.   THAT TALENT, I’M SAD TO SAY, IS UNREPLACEABLE.  /S/ MIKE SHUMAN

EDGAR HAD A POWERFUL AURA ABOUT HIM,  A SUBTLE, QUIET DIGNITY THAT HAD GREAT IMPACT.  HE POSSESSED DEEP INSIGHT AND A UNIQUE ABIITY TO SHARE IT, BOTH VERBALLY AND IN WRITING.   HE  WAS THAT RARE INDIVIDUAL WHO TOUCHES OTHER LIVES AND ENRICHES THEM FOREVER.   THANK YOU, EDGAR.   /S/PETER NAGY

WITH  THE SPACE OF ABOUT A WEEK, I LOST TWO OF MY CHILDHOOD IDOLS – RICHIE ASHBURN AND EDGAR KAPLAN.   FROM MY READING OF THE K-S BOOK AT THE START OF MY PLAYING IN THE 50S THROUGH EVERY  FACET OF BRIDGE AND HUMANITY EDGAR WAS THE BEACON OF LIGHT THAT GUIDED ALL THE REST OF US.  HE WILL BE MISSED.  /S/ BOBBY GOLDMAN

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE AS A PARTNER WITH EDGAR KAPLAN WAS AN ATLANTIC CITY OPEN PAIRS IN 1953.   MY LAST WAS ON A TEAM PLAYING THE FRENCH (WHO SUBSEQUENTLY WON THE OLYMPICS) IN 1996.   WE WON THE EVENT ON BOTH OCCASIONS BUT THE TRUE WINNING RESULT WAS WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT BIDDDING, PLAY, CONDUCT AND ETHICS FROM EDGAR.  I REGRET NOT HAVING PLAYED MORE OFTEN WITH HIM, BUT I SHALL TREASURE WHAT I LEARNED ON THE OCCASIONS WHEN I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO ENJOY HIM AS A PARTNER OR A TEAMMATE;  MOST OF ALL, I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER EDGAR KAPLAN AS MY FRIEND.  /S/ DICK FREEMAN

  I WAS  APPOINTED CO-CHAIRMAN OF NABC APPEALS IN 1998 AND SOUGHT ADVICE FROM EDGAR MANY TIMES WHEN DEALING WITH WEIGHTY ISSUES.   HE WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO HELP ME GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE INTENT OF THE LAWS. 

TRYING TO ACHIEVE EQUITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PRIMARY MOTIVE OF MOST OF US INVOLVED IN THE APPEALS PROCESSS.  IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO BE FACED WITH A PROBLEM AND THE “INAPPROPRIATE” LAW DOES NOT ACHIEVE THIS ELUSIVE EQUITY.   I WILL NEVER FORGET EDGAR TELLING ME  ‘IF  YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT A LAW SAYS, FIND ANOTHER LAW.   AND HE COULD ALWAYS SHOW ME A WAY TO APPLY A LESS OBVIOUS LAW THAT WOULD ALLOW US TOO APPROACH THAT EQUITY WHICH WE SO DESPERATELY SOUGHT    /S/ ALAN LeBENDIG

FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS,  A GOOD  FRIEND, WITH FOND MEMORIES.  /S/ CLIFF RUSSELL

EDGAR KAPLAN WAS A MAN OF MANY TALENTS.   THESE WILL, NO DOUBT, BE NOTED BY MANY OTHERS.   EDGAR WAS KNOWN  THROUGHOUT THE WORRLD OF BRIDGE FOR SEVERAL DECADES   NONE IN OUR HISTORY WAS BETTER KNOWN AND RESPECTED THAN EDGAR.

WE KNEW EDGAR AS A FRIEND.   WHAT FUN IT WAS TO SPAR WITH HIM ON A BRIDGE MATTER (USUALLY ADMINISTRATIVE OR ON A POINT OF LAW) ..  “SHOULD THE COMMA GO HERE OR THERE?”   WHEN DISAGREEMENT AROSE EDGAR WOULD SAY “DICK, YOU HAVE MADE A VERY GOOD POINT, BUT ….’    A GOOD POINT, BUT – WHEN EDGAR WOULD PROCEED TO TRY TO CONVINCE ME THAT I WAS WRONG.  AND, MOST OF THE TIME, CONVINCE ME HE DID.  /S/ (FREDDIE AND) DICK GOLDBERG

EDGAR KAPLAN WAS ONE OF THE TRULY RENAISSANCE MEN OF THE BRIDGE WORLD –COMPLETE WITH PIPE AND TWEEDS.   WE ALL KNOW OF HIS SCHOLARLY APPROACH TO THE GAME IN ALL ITS FACETS.   BUT I REMEMBER MOST THE GRACIOUS  MANNER BOTH IN CONVERSATION AND IN DEPORTMENT AT THE TABLE.   HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.  /S/ JOHN W. FISHER

EDGAR ALWAYS SOUGHT THE SOLUTION FOR ANY PROBLEM WITH REASON, OBJECTIVITY, CALMNESS AND MOST IMPORTANT, WITH FAIRNESS.   WE WILL ALL MISS HIM.  /S/ GEORGE RAPEE

IT WAS AN EDUCATION TO WORK WITH EDGAR,  IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE HIS COLLEAGUE AND IT WAS A DELIGHT TO BE HIS FRIEND.  /S/ RALPH COHEN

EDGAR KAPLAN WAS NOT A CLOSE FRIEND.  NEVERTHELESS, THROUGH OUR PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS AND THROUGH HIS MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BRIDGE WORLD, HE HAD A PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE.  I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL.

THE FIRST CONVERSATION I HAD WITH EDGAR GAVE RISE TO AN AMUSING INCIDENT.  I WAS ATTENDING MY FIRST NATIONALS – PITTSBURGH IN THE FALL OF 1966.   I FOUND MYSELF IN AN ELEVATOR WITH EDGAR, BETTY, BENITO GAROZZO (WHO AT THE TIME, WAS CONSIDERED BY MANY PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD)  AND A FOURTH WHOM I DID RECOGNIZE.   THE STRANGER WAS OBVIOUSLY AN EXPERT – HE AND GAROZZO WERE HAVING AN ANIMATED DISCUSSION ABOUT SOME COUP AND HIS FRIEND WALKED AHEAD.

EDGAR AND BETTY SEEMED VERY APPROACHABLE SO I SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THEM WHO THE MAN TALKING TO GAROZZO  WAS.   THEY LAUGHED AND LAUGHED.  IT SEEMS THAT THE FOUR OF THEM HAD JUST BEEN OUT TO DINNER.   EVERYONE IN THE RESTAURANT WANTED TO KNOW WHO WERE THOSE PEOPLE DINING WITH  OMAR SHARIF.  /S/ EDDIE MANFIELD 

   (Note:  I had heard this story countless times, but never knew where it originated until Eddie’s quip was made public above       ).

WHILE I WAS ATTENDING THE 1950 NATIONALS  IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, EDGAR KAPLAN WAS POINTED OUT TO ME AS A RISING STAR.  I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING AND CHATTING BRIEFLY WITH HIM IN THE HOSPITALITY SUITE, LITTLE KNOWING THE HEIGHT HE WOULD  REACH NOT TOO MANY YEARS IN THE FUTURE.  

CO-CHAIRING AND BEING INVOLVED WITH APPEAL COMMITTEES FOR MANY YEARS,  I FREQUENTLY SOUGHT OUT EDGAR FOR ADVICE, AND INVARIABILY WAS STEERED IN THE PROPER DIRECTION . 

CONTRACT BRIDGE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THREE AREAS:   THE CULBERSTON ERA; THE GOREN ERA; AND THE KAPLAN ERA.   IT IS SAD TO COME TO THE END OF THE LATTER, BUT HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GAME AS PLAYER AND LAWS EXPERT WILL BE ETERNAL.   GOODBYE, EDGAR   WE MISS YOU DEEPLY.  /S/ DAVE TREADWELL