Paul Wright 1949-2026 Emerald Life Master Paul Wright passed away on August 16 at age 77 in Charleston, SC.

An avid bridge player and advocate for the game, Paul earned 11,000 master points, served on both district and unit boards, and co-chaired the Charleston Regional.

Paul was born in and grew up in Oklahoma. After college
Paul worked as a chemical engineer for 32 years for Amoco Chemical Company. He spent 20 of those years in East Asia and became fluent in Mandarin Chinese. He moved to Charleston in 1987.

He loved country music, musical theater, cinema, and especially the game of bridge. Usually with his long-time favorite partner, Martin Johnson, Paul played in more sessions of bridge at the Charleston Bridge Center than any other player over the past decade. He and Martin were also regulars at District 7 regionals and sectionals. His most memorable tournament was the 2005 Gatlinburg Regional where he won more than 100 masterpoints.

Paul served tirelessly on the Unit 160 board of directors, including a term as president, as well as the District 7 board of directors. His leadership enhanced both boards’ deliberations and decisions; he always worked to maintain the highest standard of the game. Paul also served on the Aileen Osofsky ACBL Goodwill Committee.

He was the co-chair of the past two Charleston Regional tournaments and has been instrumental in planning and preparing for this year’s tournament.

Paul had a love for the game of bridge and has always been an effective ambassador to the game, helping and encouraging new bridge players. A natural teacher, Paul volunteered to teach bridge at a local middle school and often delivered newcomer lectures at tournaments. He also taught and directed bridge on several cruise ships.

Paul’s most wonderful traits were his kindness and generosity. Whenever anyone in the bridge club needed help with anything, such as getting a ride home in the opposite direction from his house or setting up computer and electronics equipment, Paul would immediately offer to do it. District 7, Unit 160, and the Charleston bridge community will miss him immensely.

Paul is survived by his wife Alice, his son Jeffrey, and his daughter Jessica.                                                                                                                                                                         Article published in the District 7 September-December Newsletter   

A native of Richmond, Jim Hawkes graduated from the University of Richmond and subsequently earned a Master of Business Administration from New York University and a PhD in Management Science from Clemson in 1978.

Meanwhile, Jim’s life had become focused on numbers, mathematics, statistics, and business, and joined the faculty at the College of Charleston as a professor of business statistics. Jim remained at the college for more than 20 years and has kept his home in Charleston since moving.

Jim founded two companies, one, Quant Systems, renamed Hawkes Learning Systems, the other, Automated Trading Desk, co-founded with his former NYU professor, which at one point handled 6 percent of all New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ trades. That company was acquired by Citigroup in 2007.

Meanwhile, he found time to write textbooks—and, yes, get introduced to bridge by a Hawkes Learning employee, Nick Tallyn, one day in 1993 or ’94, when they went to the city’s only club at the time. Given his businesses and interests, there was no surprise that, in Jim’s words, he was “bitten by the bug, big time.”

He met his wife Anne at the club in 1997, which is about the time Jim became a Life Master. Just before then, he went to his first NABC, courtesy of doing well in the district’s Flight C North American Pairs finals. Jim reached 10,000 masterpoints and Platinum LM status while playing with Howie Huynh in a recent Charleston sectional.

Early in his tournament-playing days, Jim recalls one of his top experiences was winning the 0-1500 MP mini-Spingold in 2003 in Long Beach, CA. “It was only my second or third NABC,” he recalls, “and our team included Andy Hurd and Rich Regan from South Carolina, and Matt and Rob Meckstroth, Jeff’s sons.

“I will never forget a hand from the finals, which it seemed we won by around 100 IMPs. I held Qxx, AKQxxx, xx, xx, and my partner opened one spade. We eventually got into a cue-bidding sequence, and I discovered he had AK of spades, diamonds, and clubs. Partner had AK-fifth of spades, no way to know about the jack, and after I had shown support and the queen, partner bid 7 spades. But what if there was a bad spade break, and there was no way to pick up the suit. To give us the best chance by falling back on hearts, if necessary, I corrected to 7 no-trump. It was great to find partner with the stiff jack of hearts because the spades indeed could not be picked up. We won 22 IMPs on that board.”

Jim has not been an NABC regular, but he was on the fourth-place team in an NABC+ Swiss event.

“I’ve always been a Precision player,” he says, “I believe it is the best system, and it is the one I always try to play. I play it with Anne, as well.”

Jim decided to start playing with top-of-the-line professionals in 2007, so he naturally pursued Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell. “In some tournaments, I would play with Jeff, and Anne with Eric. In others, Anne would not play with our team, and I would play with Jeff and other pros.

“A highlight actually came on a team without Jeff and Eric, but Vince Demuy, Gavin Wolpert, and two Polish champions. We finished the week as the top team at the 2008 Gatlinburg regional, winning about 150 points.” That regional attracted more than 4,000 players and 10,300 tables.

Without hesitation, Jim calls his most enjoyable bridge experience simply playing with Meckstroth. “He’s amazing,” Jim says. “I remember one time, playing against two pros, he claimed after the opening lead, and I set down the dummy. He quickly explained there was a squeeze. The opponents also rather quickly acknowledged as much and put their cards back in the board.

For several years, Jim and Anne played with Mark and Susanne McLaughlin of Charleston in numerous sectionals and some regionals in District 7. Mark unfortunately passed away in 2022. “Mark was a best friend, and brilliant. I miss him,” Jim says.

Jim wishes to give something back to the game that he loves, and explains: “As a gift to bridge, I am designing a web site, at hawkesbridge.net, that will allow players to learn Precision. It is a major project, and I am probably around the halfway point. If anyone has ideas or would like to help in some way, please contact me at locushawk@gmail.com.”                                                                                                                                                             Article published in the District 7 September-December Newsletter                                          

For her extraordinary commitment to volunteerism and philanthropy, Joyce Hill of St. Augustine, FL, has been named the 2026 ACBL Charity Foundation Volunteer of the Year. Paul Cuneo, president of the Charity Foundation, said, “Joyce is an example of the best in bridge who donate to both bridge-related charities and to charities in their communities.”

A prime example of Hill’s commitment to serving others came from a personal experience. Years ago, she began feeling ill and ended up in the emergency room.

“My husband took me, and every room had people in them, with many more waiting in the lobby,” Joyce recalled. “But I was in agony, so they gave me a room.”   Even then, help did not come quickly.  
“I was hurting so much. I crawled out of my bed and saw policemen guarding the door across the hall. I crawled to the nurses’ station. They finally recognized that I really needed help. Within 45 minutes, I was in surgery, and they removed my appendix. Luckily, they got to me before it burst, and I lived to tell the tale.”

Many people would have simply moved on after such an ordeal. Joyce turned the experience into a mission.  Determined to improve the system, Joyce traveled throughout the U.S. studying emergency departments. In 2013, Prisma Health opened a new emergency mental health center bearing her name. Joyce donated $800,000 toward the project and helped the Palmetto Health Foundation raise another $800,000.

That accomplishment is only one chapter in a lifetime devoted to serving others. Her commitment to service began early.

Over the years, Hill has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the South Carolina Ballet, the Columbia Museum of Art, Historic Columbia, the U.S. Equestrian Team, and the U.S. Eventing Association.  Hill has also been one of Patty Tucker’s earliest supporters in bringing bridge into schools. She believes bridge gives academically minded children an opportunity to excel, especially those who may not find their niche in athletics.
“Joyce’s faith and community have benefited enormously from her generosity over the years,” Tucker said. “She was one of the first to recognize what bridge could offer youth and has supported Atlanta Junior Bridge and now Jump Start Bridge for more than a decade.

However, it is her unfailing kindness, interest and generosity of spirit that will be remembered forever.” Bridge has been part of Hill’s life almost from the beginning. She learned the game from her parents as a child and continued playing while attending college, where she studied English, creative writing, and philosophy. After earning degrees from Northwestern University and Duke University, she taught English at Durham High School for three years while directing the senior class production of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Marriage, raising a family and community service followed. Along the way, she remained active as both a competitive tennis player and equestrian.

Then, in 1998, after taking two world cruises where she learned duplicate bridge, she decided to pursue the game seriously. Her first national championship came in the 2008 0– 5000 Mini Spingold, partnering Lucas Lebioda and playing with Jon Rice, Mike Rice, and David Grainger. After that success, Hall of Famer Steve Weinstein helped her build competitive teams. “I formed a women’s team with Jenny Wolpert because I wanted to become a Grand Life Master,” Joyce said. “And I did.” The partnership flourished. Hill and Wolpert won the Marsha May Sternberg Women’s Board-a-Match Teams in 2009, successfully defended the title in 2010, and added two more women’s team championships in 2011.
“Joyce was a big part of my early life’s work,” Wolpert said. “She is one of the most determined bridge players I have met. She sets goals, and she gets them done. She is an impressive lady who is loyal and hardworking. One of my favorite memories was when we were at a regional and she got Steve Weinstein and Jeff Meckstroth to play us in tennis doubles.”

Today, Hill plays with Kevin Dwyer Rimstedt, who, she jokes, “was just a boy” when they first became partners. “And he’s turning 38 soon,” she said. “So, a long time. He’s unbelievably polite and thoughtful and has never criticized me. He has a great sense of humor.” Together they finished second in the Keohane North American Swiss Teams in 2018 and won the Freeman Mixed Board-a-Match Teams in 2022 before finishing second in the event the following year. “Having had the pleasure of playing as Joyce’s bridge partner for over 15 years, I’ve seen firsthand what makes her special,” said Dwyer Rimstedt. “She is a fierce competitor who has worked relentlessly to stay at the top of her game, and she truly deserves every bit of her success.” The pair recently earned more than 100 masterpoints in a regional. “It’s exciting for me—at age 78—to think that I am still improving,” Joyce said. “I really feel blessed.”

Joyce once again makes her home in South Carolina and resides in Blythewood.                                                                                                                                                              Article published in the District 7 September-December Newsletter   

Congratulations to the 2025 Unit Winners

This past December, Unit 160 made donations to the following:
 

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,600 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.

From the Revolutionary War to present day conflicts, our veterans are devoted sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers. They come from all backgrounds in life to place those lives on the line for our freedoms. There are millions of individual stories to tell. Get to know them by viewing the 4,760 recent posts made by our supporters or sponsor a wreath in honor of or in memory of an American hero.  The Unit make a donation of $300.00 to Weaths Across America which purchased 30 wreaths to be laid at Fort Jackson, in Columbia.  For more information visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org

In honor of World AIDS Day on December 1st, Unit 160, District 7, and members of the Columbia Bridge Club made a donation of $1,734 to Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services.  PALSS (www.palss.org) is a charity organization located in Columbia whose mission is to help South Carolinians fight the war against AIDS. To read the Thank-you note, click on the PALSS logo to the left.

PALSS offers free services to individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, are at risk of contracting HIV, and also works with their families and caregivers.  In addition to testing and education, they also sponsor a women's support group, a men's clinic, a women's health council, and offer housing support, and run a food pantry.