Meet Beckey Cooper Baker

Born and raised in Michigan, I worked for physicians then hospitals for most of my career. After obtaining a Business Degree later in life, I learned to file the State and Federal Medicare and Medicaid reports, a specialty that was very much in demand.  For that reason, I was recruited to Austin Texas where I worked for 5 years. 

Sadly, I lost my first husband shortly after moving there, but a year later I met husband number 2  -- hence the Cooper and Baker. 

From Texas I was again recruited  -- this time to East Tennessee -- to work for a large hospital system. 

My mother had been living alone in Tucson and was having some health issues, so in 2012 I bought a mobile home 4 houses from hers on a small lake in NW Tucson and retired that fall.  

I was brought up in a card playing family and when visiting my grandparents as a youngster there was always a bridge table set up in either the living room or on the sun porch.  By the age of 8, I was sitting in for my mom when she would have to put my younger sisters to bed at night.  My parents always belonged to bridge groups that came to the house.  By high school my next sister had learned to play bridge and we would occasionally play at home.

My father played duplicate at night, and when his normal partner was not available, I would sub.  I would bid my hand, (except for No Trump -  that scared me to death) and my father would normally take control. 

In East Tennessee I was never able to find bridge so I only played once or twice a year when I visited Tucson.  I retired to play bridge.  Within six months of living here I was playing 5 times a week.  

In January 2015 I was on a Crystal Cruise and went to the bridge game where I was paired with a lovely French woman from Belgium who spoke very little English but who nevertheless agreed to play with me. We placed in the games and got some points. The director informed me that if I joined ACBL before the cruise was over, I would always have these first .33 black points.  I was hooked.  

After the cruise I found someone I knew from a non-sanctioned group that was willing to play with me twice a week and through this experience I eventually met most of the partners I play with today.  In those early days I would lay awake nights going over hands, trying to figure out how they should have been bid and played.

I have now recruited my youngest sister who lives in San Diego and she plays on line with me twice a week.  By the way, I am no longer afraid to bid No Trump.