Kansas City Regional
Best Amenities in the Country!
December 26th thru December 31st, 2025
Honorees
As many tournaments do, we offer to chance for those who wish to honor someone by naming an event after - and dedicating it to - their designated individual. Below you can learn a bit about each of our honorees, written by those who sponsored the dedication.
Norma Harper by Bonnie Buchbinder and Kitty Novicoff
Norma Harper loved life, loved traveling, and loved bridge. After each bridge tournament we attended, she’d ask where we were going next! She was very fun to be with, was a great bridge partner and she is missed.
Jim Gross by Alan Hierseman
James Roderick Gross was a Renaissance man. He was a pilot, a published astrologer, a chess master and a bridge convention and systems analyst. Jim served in the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel and was sent to Vietnam as a forward air controller. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross during the war. After his tour he flew cargo from California to Pacific Islands. He was also a flying instructor and was famous for taking new fliers through a slit S maneuver that caused many to pass out. During this period of his life, he would play other officers in chess blindfolded and always win.
Jim had a degree in mathematics and worked for IBM, Braniff Airlines, and TWA Airlines as a systems analyst. He traveled the world in his jobs.
In 2012 Jim and I barnstormed the country playing in as many Regionals as we could. I still remember returning from Tunica and going through St Louis in a raging downpour. Jim was driving and the car in front was not going fast enough for him, so using his pilot skills he tailgated the poor driver. All I could do was close my eyes!
Jim never met a bridge convention he would not use or like. When I partnered with him, he was my go-to source for conventions. He really wanted to write and use his own bidding system and filled a large notebook that was too much for me. He moved on to other players and I believe that some of his system is being used by some current players.
At 77 Jim married for a third time and later moved to the west coast where he enjoyed the last of his years. He is sorely missed.
Paul Pressly by Marlin Rueb
I have been playing bridge at our unit for thirty years. During all of those years Paul Pressley has been a stalwart of our bridge unit 131. During that time, he has given hundreds of playing lessons to many of us at a nominal fee. Additionally, he has always freely given advice when any of us had a question about the game we love. He served many years on our board of directors. He was usually at the tournaments to help set up before and clean up after and to help organize the events when needed.
John Rosenshein by Fred Lambert
John and Marilyn Rosenschein were a leading “power couple” of the Kansas City bridge
community from the time they moved to Kansas City from St. Louis in 1971 until John’s
untimely death due to cancer in 1991. That’s a 20-year run with many exciting wins and close calls. “Big John” was a larger-than-life character. His competitive nature and infectious personality overshadowed most everyone else’s. including Marilyn. However, she was an excellent player in her own right. After a Masters Pairs win at the Sioux City Regional, someone shouted, “Congratulations, John!” -- but it was Marilyn, partnered with Brad Furnish, who was the winner.
John’s bridge pedigree was strong. Both of his parents, George and Jane, became Life Masters in 1956 (numbers 1024 and 1040). He lived in expectation of inheriting a small fortune since his father owned a St. Louis-based sock manufacturing company. Unfortunately for John, he did not outlive his mother. In addition to bridge, John was a top-notch bowler and excelled at all manner of intellectual pursuits, “Trivial” or otherwise. Gambling of all sorts intrigued John -- sports books, dog and horse racing, table games, and of course, bridge.
Lee Goodman by Eddie Gangriwala
I attended the free bridge classes taught at the Bridge Studio by Lee Goodman in the fall of 2022. Bridge is a complicated game that Lee made fun and interesting by his style of teaching--interesting enough for me to take the additional 6 classes. I have since developed a passion for the game and I have Lee Goodman to thank for it.
Lee teaches classes for players at all levels and I continue to take and re-take his classes. He always makes them fun and informative. Thanks Lee, for all you do for the game of bridge.
Carla Allenstein by Randy Klein
My friend Carla, who died in May of 2019 approximately a year after suffering a grievous injury in her home, was an avid bridge student on her way to becoming quite accomplished at a game she loved. I first met her at a Tuesday evening lesson being conducted by Tim Hays. We spent the next several years discussing conventions and playing some games together. Carla was a Wisconsin native who earned an MBA at Rockhurst and spent a number of years employed by Hallmark. After retirement she became an outstanding piano teacher which was her true passion along with her love of dogs. She will always be missed by her friends and family. May her memory be a blessing.
Don Stack by anonymous
When Don Stack first picked up a deck of cards in 1966, he never imagined it would lead to a lifelong passion, national titles, and a reputation as one of the most accomplished bridge players in the country. Today, Don is a Grand Life Master, a title that represents the pinnacle of achievement in the American Contract Bridge League requiring both 10,000 masterpoints and at least one national championship.
With over 35,000 masterpoints to his name, Don Stack ranks among the top 50 all-time
masterpoint winners (currently 34th—a number that continues to evolve). He has claimed
more than 605 regional wins, earned countless accolades, and played against some of the most famous names in bridge, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and even legendary actor and bridge enthusiast Omar Sharif.
Before his name became synonymous with competitive bridge, Don Stack was a chemical
engineer by training. He began his professional career working at Western Electric, where he was first introduced to the game of cards. Later, he worked as a Quality Control Chemist at Kansas City Power and Light, a position he held until retiring in 2002.
Becoming a Grand Life Master was no small feat—and for Don, it nearly came with an
unwanted distinction. “When I started playing bridge, I never dreamed of amassing as many masterpoints as I did,” Don recalls. “Once I got over 20,000, I became aware that most people ahead of me were Grand Life Masters. I had thoughts that, at the end, I would have the most masterpoints without a national title. Heaven forbid.”
For years, that fear loomed large. Despite being close many times, the elusive national title never came—until summer 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. Stack teamed up with Linda Eakes, Jack Spear, and Nancy Spear for the National Mixed Team Board-A-Match, a two-day event. Entering the final session in tenth place, the team rallied in dramatic fashion to claim the championship.
“WE WON, WE WON,” Don says with a smile. “That victory gave me 110 platinum points and the title I had dreamed of. What a team they were—and what great friends. They saved me from the stigma of no national championship.”
When Don isn’t at the bridge table, he takes pride in being a father of four children and
grandfather of seven grandchildren. For him, life is about more than points—it’s about
connections, both on and off the card table. Looking back, Don says: “Bridge has given me so much—wonderful friends, great memories, and challenges that keep me thinking. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Dave Chipman by Brad Ellis and Jerry Sloan; game named by Fred Lambert
I (Brad) first met Dave when we were pledge brothers at the University of Kansas and we
became lifelong friends. We started playing bridge together in the fraternity, which led to
entering the world of duplicate bridge and we played as partners through college and a few years after until he took a job transfer to Milwaukee.
Dave, who later in life became an excellent poker player at the casinos, loved to make a modest wager. A quick story – one day in college we played a few rounds of Chicago scoring against two fraternity brothers who were good players. We get to the very last hand. Dave and I had were in the lead; the only way to overcome it was if the opponents were to bid and make a grand slam doubled and redoubled. Now we are playing for big bucks -- a six-pack of Old Milwaukee which cost a whopping 95 cents. As destiny would have it, our opponents got to a 7-spade contract and Dave doubled. YES, HE DOUBLED. Of course, the contract gets re-doubled. Dave laid down the ace of diamonds and the board comes down void in diamonds. Contract making. You should have seen the look on his face, let alone heard my voice of disapproval.
Dave went on to be a much better player than I, amassing over 2,900 masterpoints. His total would have been much greater if he had played continually and traveled to more tournaments. His one claim to fame was playing at the same table with Omar Sharif.
Dave was well read and knew more about history, geography and literature than anyone I ever met. When the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” was on TV, Dave is the person I would have called if I could “dial a friend”.
Dave left us after a bout with cancer on February 9, 2019. He will always be remembered as a mentor to others at the Kaw Valley Bridge Center in Lawrence.
His love for literature stressed poetry, and I will close with one of his poems that was published in Echoes magazine. For those that knew Dave well, they are perfect words.
Perfect Words
What would you have of me
Beyond correct (yes, ever so correct) behavior?
Trust lies on the table between us
Amid the scatterings of our lives together.
I fear the perfect words and actions;
Dread even more not having them,
Standing exposed with just appearances…
Poor substitute for the me I feel inside.
I doubt the perfect words exist
For me to express
How my hope is alive
To think that I
Could find the perfect words
For me to express
How my hope is alive
To think that I
Could find
The perfect
Words.
Tom Brown by Howard Mick
Tom Brown, who passed away about seven years ago, was one of the finest gentlemen and bridge players to play in our district. Playing out of Duncan, Oklahoma and later, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, he partnered frequently with another excellent and well-liked player, Richard Holme of Wichita. Fortunately for me, he was willing to settle for less (far less) than an expert partner for many games over several years.
Tom was my late wife Pat’s brother-in-law. He was married to Pat’s sister, another fine player, who unfortunately passed away at an early age. I met him about 27 years ago after Pat and I were married. Knowing of my interest in bridge he introduced me to competitive duplicate. He demonstrated admirable patience during our numerous low-scoring sessions, especially in the early years of our partnership. But I thoroughly enjoyed them and I believe he did as well.
Tom had a distinguished career as a petroleum engineer with Halliburton, where he invented many patented devices related to oil production. He was a help and encouragement to me and many others in many ways beyond bridge. He’s well worth remembering.
Bob Axtell by Joe Johnston
Bob faced challenges due to COVID-19 and transportation issues that prevented him from
attending the studio over the past few years. Despite these obstacles, his passion for the game remained undiminished. During that period, Bob actively participated in online bridge sessions with various studio members almost daily.
Bob’s legacy extends beyond his exceptional bridge skills. His demeanor at the table was truly remarkable. In numerous encounters with him at the bridge table, I never witnessed any negative reactions from him towards his partners or opponents. We all should aspire to emulate his positive and respectful attitude.
In honor of Bob, I raise a toast and have at least one more beer in his memory.
Marianne Payne by Carol Lapin and Marilyn Hennon
Marianne was a feisty bridge competitor and friend to all. She traveled the world with her
friends and shopped them all to the ground. No one could best Marianne when it came to
shopping. As a result, she always turned up at our studio in the latest fashions, complete with the jewelry to complement them. She was fun and dearly missed by all.
Virginia Stevens Seaver by Fred Lambert
Virginia Stevens was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1919. She attended Stanford University, where she met Jim Seaver, and after considerable persistence on his part she finally agreed to go out with him. Their first date was to the opera in San Francisco where they saw a performance of La Forza del Destino (The Power of Fate). Thus began a remarkable partnership that would last more than seventy years. During an amazing ten-day period in December of 1940, Virginia graduated early from Stanford, moved from California to New York, married Jim, celebrated Christmas and her 21st birthday!
After WWII ended Virginia and Jim returned to Cornell University where he finished his
doctorate. By 1947 Virginia and Jim had moved to Lawrence and, in addition to raising three sons and assisting Jim in his many remarkable accomplishments, Virginia was involved in countless civic and volunteer activities, including the League of Women Voters, Friends in Council, Douglas County Senior Services and The Villages. In her quiet, unassuming way she was remarkably efficient. Her lifelong fascination with words and numbers would serve her well in the wide variety of activities she pursued. She and Jim were recipients of many awards, almost all of which derived from their profound belief in the value of public service.
In her professional career, Virginia was an editor at the University Press of Kansas, eventually rising to become managing editor. She edited a wide variety of books ranging from the final revised autobiography of Thomas Hart Benton to a first-hand account of Mao’s Long March to the history of the Kansas City Monarchs.
In her spare time Virginia played as much bridge as possible. She was a fine player and a
mentor to many local players over the course of more than half a century. She played an
important part in the creation of the Kaw Valley Bridge Club. She was the club manager until the age of 92. In the latter part of her life, she was particularly devoted to her friends at the Bridge Center and they to her.
A great believer her entire life in the importance of mental exercise, she did crossword puzzles of all types daily and in her later years became addicted to Sudoku. Her mind was so sharp that she was still playing cribbage Christmas Eve.
Virginia had a remarkable sense of humor which was well known to her friends and family. It was never mean-spirited and always laser-sharp. Her even temperament served her well throughout her life and complemented her often-stated observation that there was only one direction in life and that was forward. After having lived a long and wonderful life, the last thing she would have wanted was anyone to feel sorry for her. She often remarked, “Who would have thought that a young girl from Topeka would see so much of the world?”
Paul Heitzman by Fred Lambert
There are two amazing things you need to know about Paul. First, he was a nationally
recognized long-distance runner, not in his youth, but in his senior years. He was honored as the track athlete of the year in 2002 by the USA Track and Field governing body at the age of 71, and was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 2017. He held state and national records for his age group and continued running competitively into his early eighties.
Second, he was the nicest guy you could ever want to know.
Paul Heitzman was my bridge partner way back in the 1970’s. We hit the jackpot when we teamed up with Neville Hochoy and Jim Babich, two players long gone from the Kansas City bridge scene. They played Precision, and we played “5 Card Majors Western Style,” both new systems at the time. We won the District 15 Grand National Team final held in Wichita on Easter Sunday in 1976, after first winning the qualifying tournament in Kanas City. This was one of the earliest Grand National Teams, and it wasn’t a bracketed event.
This win didn’t qualify us for the tournament finals at a national tournament as it does today. We had to win a zonal playoff against a team from Texas and a team from Colorado to continue, and that team from Texas was the famous Dallas Aces, a professional team put together by millionaire Ira Corn featuring Bob Hamman and Bobby Wolf, at that time the best pair in the world.
We got to add to players to our team for this playoff, and we added Paul Orlett and John
Rosenschein, considered the two best players in Kansas City at the time. That playoff took place here in Kansas City at the Glenwood Motel which was located on Metcalf, just north of the current Bridge Studio about where the shopping center that fronts the New Theater is now. Needless to say, we didn’t beat the Aces, but did manage to come in second, beating the Colorado team. Paul and I also won a two-session Open Pair at the National Tournament held at Crown Center one year, but it was a regional-rated, not a national-rated, event. We also won the last event I played in before quitting bridge, the 1980 election tournament.
In his non-bridge life, Paul was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served as a signal message clerk with the 40th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade in Yokohama, Japan from August 1954 thru May 1956. After his military service, he worked briefly as a stockbroker with the A.C. Allen Company in Chicago, Illinois, before finding a long, fulfilling career in secondary education. He taught history at Topeka High School, Shawnee Mission West High School, and Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. Paul also had a farm he loved near Eudora, Kansas.
Paul married Marilyn Kay Heitzman (née Stidham) on April 12, 1963. They had three children together and seven grandchildren, and they shared 59 years of love and commitment. Paul passed away in 2022 at age 91.
Fran Bernstein by David Braverman
Fran Bernstein died last December 2024 at the very young age of 82. I worked with Fran for many years, and we always had fun. Many of our lunches were spent discussing hands from the past week, and what we should have done. Fran was competitive and achieved the rank of Silver Life Master. She served on the local Unit board as well many social and service organizations in Kansas City and other locations. She played golf and tennis with a large social group with which she was close with for an extended period and at her funeral we joked that we had enough bridge players for two tables.
Her Super Bowl parties were legendary. She and her husband of many years, Marc, traveled extensively in Asia, Africa, and Europe, among other places. While Marc worked on the East Coast, she traveled to NYC with him for food, theatre, shopping, and the annual US Tennis Open. Over the last few years, she split her time between Kansas City and the Phoenix area. I never heard an unkind word about Fran from anyone. She was the definition of class in every respect, and I still miss her very much.
Mike Sheehy by David Young
Mike Sheehy was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Queens, NY. After receiving a BS from
Assumption University, he served 4 years in the USAF, much of it at NATO HQ in the
Netherlands. When he returned to the US, he went to Kansas State University and received a Masters and PhD in mathematics. He ended his career as chairman of the mathematics department, teaching advanced calculus at St. Peters University in Jersey City, NJ.
He joined the ACBL in 1975 and enjoyed playing with many partners. He was known for his warm personality, his sense of humor, and his desire to have fun at the bridge table. Before his untimely death, he had reached the level of Ruby Life Master.
Mike played at many levels including the Spingold Teams, Blue Ribbon Pairs, and many others. Surprisingly his favorite event (no longer around) seemed to be the Midnight Zip Swiss. He always had a great time in this event and was often accompanied by his accomplished kibitzer, Mr. Glen Livit. RIP, Michael!
Donna Magee by Don Stack
Donna was born in Carl Junction near Joplin, Missouri. She attended Pittsburg State University in Kansas where she discovered the Gorilla’s Den student union and played bridge there for two years before setting off with the intention to become the best bridge player in the world. She headed to Kansas City with 9 college credits and a fascination with all aspects of bridge. She later attended Missouri Western to get a degree in social studies. She became one of the top 10 players in the world but never left Kansas City to pursue a world championship. She developed a lifelong friendship with Linda Eakes. They were the two amigos!
Linda Eakes by Don Stack
Linda, born in New Jersey, is a Jersey girl. She landed in Bartlesville, Oklahoma where the most excitement was peel-and-eat shrimp on Friday nights at the Lions Club. She wanted the excitement of tournament bridge and became an excellent tournament chair for the Oklahoma Regionals, the Kansas City Regionals, and the Kansas City Nationals. She lived in Oklahoma City and after her workweek ended, she’d take off on Friday night, drive to Kansas City to party with her friends Donna Magee and Tim Hays, then return Sunday. She did this for weeks on end until she met her future husband Michael Eakes and moved to Kansas City where she happily settled into married life. She worked in the benefits department of a salt company in Overland Park and had many opportunities to take Donna on business trips to Florida and on vacations to Puerto Vallarta. These two amigos were world class party animals.
After Mike’s death in 2006 she hooked up with Don Stack and won a national championship in a team game with the Spears, becoming a Grand Life Master, the highest ACBL rank. I love her!
