CENTRAL CAROLINA BRIDGE ASSOCIATION
ACBL District 7 Unit 169
2026 Archives TOC
Record-setting Alzheimer's Association Fundraiser
​
A big shoutout to Fran Tewkesbury for coordinating another successful fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Association.
​
To date, Unit 169 has raised $16,500 for this extremely worthy cause! It’s not too late to make a contribution, but time is running short! Any funds from our unit deposited before July 1 will count toward Unit 169’s fundraising total. In recent years we have been among the top 25 bridge units in the country for Alzheimer’s Association gifts and we very much want to continue that tradition.
​
If you would like to make a gift, send your check (ASAP!) made out to Alzheimer’s Association and dated in June to:
Fran Tewkesbury
1005 Country Club Drive, Greensboro, NC 27408
Or give Fran cash or a check at a local game.
​
Thank you to all the winning Longest Day bidders, and to those of you who made very generous in-kind and cash contributions. A special thanks to the players who donated their time and expertise, our cooks and hostesses who donated their talents, our wonderful crafters and artists, and all our generous contributors.
Of the $16,500 total raised, $5,890 came from the auction and $10,610 from your very generous checks and cash gifts.​​​
Honor Roll of Contributors
-
​Daryl Adams
-
Jack Alford
-
BJ Amini
-
Sally Anderson
-
Niki Antonelli
-
Jim Bean
-
Marty Benjamin
-
Mark and Sheila Bertoldi
-
Leslie Blair
-
Peter C. Boyd-Bowman and Mary Ann Young
-
Peter J. Boyd-Bowman
-
Bridge at Rufty and Evergreen
-
Beverly Brown
-
Pat Cambareri
-
Dian Carr
-
Cynthi Coble
-
Dixie Culver
-
Mary Carol Danahy
-
Kathie Dwyer
-
Debbie Elston
-
Marty Friedman
-
Louise Garcia
-
Patricia Gutzwiller
-
Bob and Claudia Hale
-
Donna Hancock
-
Marie Harrill
-
Judy Hellen
-
Josh Hoffman
-
David Hurd
-
Candie Hurley
-
David Idleman
-
Randi Infusino
-
Toni Iossi
-
Mike Jacobs
-
Butch Johnson
-
Laura English Jones
-
Chris Kendall
-
Cathy Kuzma
-
Date Larson
-
Bill Law
-
Eric Lee
-
Kent Leggett
-
Simone Leibling
-
Avery Lloyd
-
Susan Mann
-
Jo Martin
-
Tom May
-
Joanne McCluskey
-
Anne McKiernan
-
Myrnie McLaughlin
-
Dwight Meredith
-
Mark and Martha Meyer
-
Deborah Monroe​​
-
Mary Morgan
-
Sam Niehens
-
Libby Noah
-
Mary Claire O’Brien
-
Anne Osborne
-
Nancy Osborne
-
Danette Parker
-
Jim and Betty Parker
-
Rich Peffer
-
Jane Perrin
-
Barbara Pomer
-
Phoenix and Wendall Putney
-
Bob and Suzanne Rhodes
-
Ruth Short
-
Jim Skidmore
-
Bruce Southard
-
Vladimir and Tatyana Stemkowski
-
Wayne Sykes
-
Fran Tewkesbury
-
Jane Walker
-
Barbara Walters
-
Bob Whaling
-
Louisa Whitten
-
Vicki Williams
-
Susan Williford
-
Becky Wilson
-
Cindy Wright
Auction winners
-
Jim Bean— Anne McKiernan
-
Peter J. Boyd-Bowman—Leslie Blair
-
Bob Hale—Laura English Jones
-
Josh Hoffman—Nancy Osborne
-
David Idleman—Suzanne Rhodes
-
Kent Leggett—Susan Williford
-
Tom May—Mike Jacobs
-
Joanne McCluskey—Jim Skidmore
-
Barbara Pomer—Randi Infusino
-
Ruth Short—Mike Jacobs
-
Bruce Southard—Jim Skidmore
-
Cindy Wright—Susan Mann
-
Louise Garcia coaching—Patricia Gutzwiller
-
Judy Hellen lesson—Barbara Walters and Avery Lloyd
-
Meyers boot camp—Bob Whaling and Mary Claire O’Brien
-
Barbara Pomer supervised play—Laura English Jones
-
Bertoldi dinner at GCC—Bob Hale
-
Dixie Culver pool party—Eric Lee
-
Jim Skidmore Majolica platter—Deborah Monroe
-
Jim Skidmore Majolica pitcher—Donna Hancock
-
Chris Kendall framed print—Fran Tewkesbury
News from the Regional
-
News & Record features the tournament on the FRONT PAGE. Check out more photos and related article.
-
Fast Results Bulletins​
Unit 169 Ace of Clubs Winners, 2025
The Ace of Clubs competition recognizes play at local clubs. Congratualtions to the Unit 169 winners for 2025!! Bob Whaling and David Idleman were also winners in District 7. You can keep up with the 2026 race by clicking Accomplishments then Unit and District races.​
Congratulations to Bob Whaling of Winston-Salem, top Ace of Clubs winner in the entire ACBL for the 5-20 category.
0-5
Laura Jones
5-20
Bob Whaling
20-50
Dian Carr
50-100
John Merschel
100-200
Geoffrey Kierstead
200-300
Louisa Witten
300-500
Tom Johnson
500-1000
Doug Mead
1000-1500
Daryl Adams
1500-2500
Eric Lee
2500-3500
Tom May
3500-5000
Rhett Inabinet
5000-7500
David Idleman
7500-10,000
Bruce Southard​
10,000+
Dan Fowler​
Unit 169 Mini-McKenney Winners, 2025
The Mini-McKenney competition recognizes play at local clubs and tournaments. Congratualtions to the Unit 169 winners for 2025!! Bob Whaling and Fran Tewkesbury were also winners in Districk 7. You can keep up with the 2026 race by clicking Accomplishments then Unit and District races.
0-5
Laura Jones
5-20
Bob Whaling
200-300
Louisa Witten
300-500
Tom Johnson
20-50
Dian Carr
500-1000
Jim Skidmore
50-100
John Merschel
1000-1500
Eric Peffer
100-200
David Hurd
1500-2500
Mark Meyer
2500-3500
Rich Peffer
3500-5000
Fran Tewkesbury
5000-7500
Bob Hale
7500-10,000
Bruce Southard​
10,000+
Peter Boyd-Bowman​
Results from Gatlinburg: America's Favorite Tournament
Congratulations to our Unit 169 bridge buddies who brought home points from Gatlinburg!
-
Dan Fowler, Salisbury, 44.34 MPs
-
Debbie Fowler, Salisbury, 44.34
-
Peter J Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro, 42.93
-
Tibi Ungureanu, Lewisville, 41.59
-
Fran Tewkesbury, Greensboro, 33.72
-
Debbie Monroe, Greensboro, 17.73
-
Brenda Chiott, Winston-Salem, 8.72
-
Toni Iosse, Salisbury, 8.72
-
Peter C Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro, 8.33 MPs
-
Mary Ann Young, Greensboro, 8.33
-
Gerrald Brown, Winston-Salem, 6.66
-
Lulu Smith, Winston-Salem, 6.66
-
Martha Meyer, Winston-Salem, 4.48
-
Joanne Hawks, Greensboro, 0.87
-
Patricia Gutzwiller, Greensboro, 0.87
Mentor-Mentee Unit Game​​​​​​​​
Article submitted by Martha Meyer
​
The Unit's third game for 2026 was the Mentor-Mentee game on Saturday, April 18 at Georgia Taylor Neighborhood Center. There were 13 tables and the refreshments were wonderful! Thank you to Donna Hancock for coordinating the program in Winston-Salem and Judy Hellen for Greensboro. Thank you to all of our mentors and mentees who participated this year.
The top North-South scorers were Judy Mendenhall and Kathryn Badorrek, 62.68%, followed by Peter J Boyd-Bowman and Andrea Endriga, 61.70%, then Mark Meyer and Linda Moore, 58.08%,. The top East-West scorers were Rich Peffer and Susan Pinsker, 65%, (top overall). Susan Wesley and Bob Whaling, 59.61%, and Donna Hancock and John Merschel, 55.36%.
The next Unit Game is our Longest Day fundraiser for Alzheimer's Research. It is on Saturday, June 13 at Fellowship Presbyterian Church. THIS IS A TEAM GAME so get your teammates on your dance card. We are making it a Longest Game with six rounds in the Open Game and multiple pair games for our novices. Game time is at 12:00 pm.
Unit 169 members score in the Charlotte Spring Sectional
Fran Tewkesbury of Greensboro, and her regular partner, Martin Causley of Chapel Hill, were the overall Masterpoint winners at the Charlotte Spring Sectional with 35.27 MPs each. Congrats!!
Other players from Unit 169 scoring master points are:
-
Peter J. Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro, 20.24 MPs
-
Bill Wisdom, Salisbury, 15,21 MPs
-
Dan Fowler, Salisbury, 15.21 MPs
-
Debbie Fowler, Salisbury, 10.96 MPs
-
Toni Iossi, Salisbury, 10.96 MPs
-
Dwight Meredith, Greensboro, 9.35 MPs
-
Kent Leggett, Winston-Salem, 7.39 MPs
-
Rick Morgan, Asheboro, 7.39 MPs
-
Joanne Hawks, Greensboro, 3.38 MPs
-
Patricia Gutzwiller, Greensboro, 3.38 MPs
-
Louisa Witten, Salisbury, 1.96 MPs
-
Tom Johnson, Salisbury, 1.96 MPs​
2026 GNT Finals results, March 26 - 28
Article submitted by Martha Meyer
Our 2026 District 7 GNT Finals were held March 26-28 in Columbia, SC. All winning team members qualified to play at the NABC in Minneapolis in July. Each team receives a stipend of $3,200 to represent District 7 at the Nationals. The stipends are funded by our grassroots fundraisers held in each of our clubs. We thank the club directors, Columbia Bridge Club, and all our team members for their support of our Grand National Teams.
Six teams competed in the Championship Flight. The winning team members were Emory Whitaker, Olin Hubert, Robert Fendrick, and Hugh Brown.
Four teams competed in Flight A. It was reported that it was a very close match, coming down to the last few boards. The winning team members were Fran Tewkesbury, Martin Causley, Greg Leblanc, and Andy Hsiao.
Eleven teams competed in Flight B. Since more than eight teams competed, two teams will receive stipends when they participate in the summer NABC. First place went to Holli and Stephen Mast, Steven Hamburg, and Lee Dowell, Jr. Second place went to Diane and Larry Henson, Gil Vinzani, and Robert Dunas. The Hensons recently moved from Minnesota to Raleigh so they will know many players in the Minneapolis bridge community.
There were four teams registered for Flight C. However, one team had to withdraw. Unfortunately (or fortunately) one team player just got his first job. Three teams competed in Flight C. Our winners are Polly Ross, Melanie Mauldin, Melissa Himelein, and Louisa Witten.
We wish all our teams the best of luck when they play in the Nationals this summer!
Peter J. Boyd-Bowman matches
the best at Spring NABC
Article submitted by Fran Tewkesbury
​
Congratulations to Peter J. Boyd-Bowman for his second place finish in the Lebhar IMP pairs event at the St. Louis Nationals this spring. Peter and his partner, Jim Johnson of Frisco, Texas, beat out almost 200 of the best partnerships in the world to win 75 platinum points for their achievement. Peter and Jim led the pack in the first two rounds of the event, were in second place after three rounds and finished only slightly behind the winners in the fourth and final round. An amazing record of excellent and consistent play against an extremely strong field.
IMP pairs is a bridge format where scores are compared against a calculated par, or average, result for each board, versus the matchpoint scoring used in local pairs games. The strategy is similar to that of team games, where overtricks are virtually immaterial, doubles on close contracts are risky, minor suit games vs. a more risky no trump contract is no disaster, and bidding vulnerable games is key. Peter has clearly mastered this complicated strategy.
​
Other masterpoint winners from Unit 169 are Charles Wilkins, Mark and Martha Meyer, Rich Peffer, Marty Friedman, Dwight Meredith, Fran Tewkesbury, Debbie Monroe, David Hurd and Bob Whaling. The Summer NABC Tournament is scheduled for July 8-19 in Minneapolis.
Louisa Witten wins David Parsons Trophy for 2025
Article submitted by Judy Hellen
​
Each year the David Parsons Trophy is awarded to the non-life master who earned the most masterpoints during the calendar year. At the Salisbury Sectional Chris Shepard, Unit 169 VP Membership, presented the trophy to Louisa Witten of Salisbury. She earned 229.67 points during the calendar year. Congratulations, Louisa!
Pictured Louisa, left, and Chris, right.
Salisbury Sectional had a Full House
Article submitted by Judy Hellen
​
Some problems are nice to have. Such was the case at the Salisbury Sectional when the attendance for the 499er section surpassed expectations. There was a slight delay to the start of the first Friday session as tables were shuffled into the limited section. Then everything ran smoothly.​
Many thanks to Dick Brisbin, tournament chair, and Louisa Witten, partnership chair, for delivering another great Salisbury Sectional. The tournament drew 130.5 tables compared to 117 last year. The hospitality and food were outstanding. ​
Here are the top ten masterpoint winners from Unit 169:
​
Bill Wisdom, Salisbury - 23.24 MPs
Dan Fowler, Salisbury - 21.01
Rhett Inabinet, Winston-Salem - 16.94
John Kimel, Advance - 13.17
Rich Peffer, Greensboro - 11.91
Peter J. Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro - 11.76
Debbie Monroe, Greensboro - 11.76
Dick Brisbin, Salisbury - 9.07
Marty Friedman, Greensboro - 8.94
Bob Hale, Greensboro - 8.83
Toni Iossi, Salisbury - 7.94
Debbie Fowler, Salisbury- 7.94
​
We also want to recognize 499ers who earned MPs:
​
Donna Hancock, Winston-Salem - 2.29 MPs
John Merschel, Winston-Salem - 2.29
Brenda Ganim, Greensboro - 2.06
Sam Niehans, Jamestown - 2.06
Beverly Brown, Greensboro - .87
Candie Hurley, Summerfield - .87
Congratulations to Bill Wisdom, the overall masterpoint winner at the Salisbury Sectional held February 20-22.
Masterpoint Winners at Hilton Head Low Country Classic
Out of 962 players earning masterpoints, Jim Melville ranked 17th, Peter Boyd-Bowman ranked 40th and Fran Tewkesbury ranked 41st. Congratulations to all the players from our unit who scored masterpoints in the regional held January 26-February 1 in Hilton Head, SC while the rest of us suffered through ice and snow.
Jim Melville is top masterpoint winner in Myrtle Beach.
Article submitted by Judy Hellen
​
Jim Melville of Greensboro along with his partner from Wisconsin was the top masterpoint winner in the Myrtle Beach New Year's Regional Tournament. Jim walked away with over 108 MPs. Hat's off to you, Jim.
​
Twenty-two other members of Unit 169 also earned points.
Jim Melville, Greensboro, 108.48 MPs
Bill Wisdom, Salisbury, 79.73
Dan Fowler, Salisbury, 55.27
Debbie Fowler, Salisbury, 30.80
Fran Tewkesbury, Greensboro, 29.31
Joanne McCluskey, Burlington, 29.31
Anne Kierman, Winston-Salem, 25.40
Sue Ann Harris, Winston-Salem, 15.89
Rebecca Vassar, Winston-Salem, 15.89
Peter J. Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro, 12.85
Debbie Monroe, Greensboro, 12.85
Jim Einstein, Winston-Salem, 7.85 MPs
Beth Einstein, Winston-Salem, 7.85
Libby Noah, Winston-Salem, 3.50
Betty Gatewood, Winston-Salem, 3.50
Lucille Hurley, High Point, 3.10
Louisa Witten, Salisbury, 1.40
Judy Gregory, High Point, 0.91
Joanne Hawks, Greensboro, 0.65
Patricia Gutzwiller, Greensboro, 0.65
Mike Jacobs, Greensboro, 0.61
Dian Carr, Greensboro, 0.61
Congratulations to Eric Peffer,
Player of the Year 2025
Eric Peffer is the winner of the Tim Stecker Player of the Year contest for 2025. To qualify one must play in at least six unit games. Master points from the unit games are combined with those from our sectional tournaments. Eric played in 8 of the 12 unit games with various partners. At the final game of the year, he was .28 masterpoints shy of Fran Tewkesbury who was also playing. Eric with his partner, Rich Peffer, was able to pull ahead by less than one masterpoint.
​
Fran Tewkesbury, yet again, is the runner up. Hang in there, Fran. See the final top ten players here.​
​​
Congratulations, Eric. And Fran.
​
Article submitted by Judy Hellen
Triad Bridge Club Supports Operation Yuletide
From left to right: Barbara Boyd-Bowman, April Parker, Booboo Watkins, Mary Ann Young, Ann Bennett and Mary Morgan.
Article submitted by Candie Hurley
The Triad Bridge Club participated in Operation Yuletide, a project of the Greensboro Police Department, which identifies vulnerable families in our community to provide them with gifts, clothing, and essentials during the holidays. April Parker and Booboo Watkins chaired the club's effort. We adopted two families this year that are both going through tough times.
-
The Nelson Family: A resilient single mother raising three daughters (Sharonda, 10; Shadiamond, 14; and Alexis, 17). The family is currently living in a hotel, and the mother is working hard to support her girls who attend Vandalia Elementary, Jackson Middle, and Smith High.
-
The Walker Family: This family of five is facing a sudden crisis. Their 9-year-old daughter, Kennedy, was diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks before Christmas. The parents are currently out of work to be by her side at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital, while trying to maintain normalcy for her siblings, Madison (5) and Cayden (11).
April and Boo Boo collected the donations and shopped for over $1700 of gifts while Barbara Boyd-Bowman was in charge of the gift wrapping! Our club raised nearly $5,000 — far beyond any goal we set. That generosity means not only that the Walker and Nelson families will have a brighter, merrier Christmas, but the excess will also go back into the GPD’s general fund to help last-minute families in need and even seed next year’s campaign. Once again, we’ve proven that our community is as strong in spirit as it is at the table!
