Club History

North Carolina has a rich history of match point duplicate bridge. It all started in 1933 when a Raleigh resident, Miss Julia Farmer, attended one of Ely Culbertson’s bridge schools in New York City, and was immediately hooked. She became an avid player, and in her first tournament that year went on to win a silver cup (the first of 30). Encouraged by her win, Miss Farmer began attending lectures by noted bridge directors, and then returned to Raleigh as the first bridge director in North Carolina history.

Women's Club, 314 Hillsboro St., Raleigh, NC

Back in Raleigh, she started directing games first in larger homes, then at the Carolina Country Club, and then at the Sir Walter Hotel, where she and her players were invited to hold games free of charge as a form of entertainment for the guests. As her players grew in number, they decided to affiliate with the American Contract Bridge League, and under Miss Farmer’s leadership the first area bridge clubs and the first ACBL Unit in North Carolina were organized. The first local club was the Raleigh Bridge Association, chartered by Miss Laeke Lentz in 1938, which met every Tuesday at 7.45 PM at the Raleigh Women’s Club (314 Hillsborough Street). The cost was 35 cents per person. Other local area bridge clubs included Rocky Mount and Wilson.

Miss Lentz quickly became one of the top bridge players in the region and was active until at least 1971. Sectional Tournaments were held annually starting in 1938 at the Sir Walter Hotel.In 1950, a one evening event with Charles Goren was hosted by the Rocky Mount Bridge Club, and it was reported that “Miss Laeke Lentz, North Carolina’s leading Woman Master Player, will be Mr. Goren’s partner for the game that is to follow the lecture.”

1938

The News&Observer, November 2nd, 1938

1939

The Daily Tar Heel, December 6th, 1939

James Crawford Biggs

Mr. & Mrs. McCalister, Jr.

The Daily Tar Heel, February 9th, 1939

James Crawford Biggs (Aug. 29, 1872 - Jan. 30, 1960) was an American lawyer and politician.

Biggs was elected to serve two terms as the mayor of Oxford, NC in 1897 and 1898. In 1899 he helped found the North Carolina Bar Association, which he served as its first Secretary-Treasurer, and later serverd as president (1914-1915). From 1917-1918, Biggs was given an opportunity to litigate on the federal level when hne was chosen to be a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General in charge of oil litigation against the Southern Pacific Railroad in California.

President F.D. Roosevelt appointed Biggs Solicitor General in May 1933, at the start of the New Deal.

1940

The High Point Enterprise, May 4th, 1940

1941

From left to right: Mrs.Fred J. Cohn, secretary of the Raleigh Bridge Association; William E. McKenney, executive secretary of the American Contract Bridge League; Mrs. William M. Person, tournament director; and Miss Laeke Lentz, president of the R.B.A.

The News&Observer, November 13th, 1941

The Freeport, 1941

1942

The News&Observer, May 2nd, 1942

1944

Reno Evening Gazette, February 21st, 1944

1947

Burlington Daily, September 23rd, 1947

Two of the RBC Pointrace Trophies are named after W.W. Elliott and A.B. Fairley

1949

RBC is saying goodbye to C.M. Waynick

Capus Miller Waynick (December 23, 1889 – September 7, 1986) was an American newspaperman, politician, and diplomat.

Born in Rockingham County, North Carolina, Waynick enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but did not graduate. He became a reporter for the Greensboro Record and eventually rose to become its publisher, and later editor of the High Point Enterprise. Waynick, a Democrat, was elected to one term in the North Carolina House of Representatives and to one term in the North Carolina Senate. He held a variety of offices in the North Carolina state government, managed the successful gubernatorial campaign of Kerr Scott, and was the chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party in 1948-1949. President Harry Truman appointed him to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua (1949–1951) and then to Colombia (1951–1953). Waynick served as adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard under Gov. Luther Hodges from 1957-1961.

The Wilson Daily, November 26th, 1949

1950

The Freeport, April 18th, 1950

1954-1957

Sir Walter Hotel, Raleigh NC

 

The Rocky Mount, September 12th, 1965

The Wilson Daily, July 20th, 1966

 

January 24th, 1967

1969

Honored guests at RBC and Carolina Championship Dorothy Hayden and B. Jay Becker

Photo published in The News&Observer, January 17th, 1969

There was a funny story about Ed Mendell at a Sir Walter tournament. He stepped outside with his cocktail during a hospitality break and was arrested for drinking in public and he was hauled off to jail. Those who stayed inside during the break wondered what became of Ed when play resumed.

Somehow they collected enough clues from bystanders to figure out what happened and C.A. Dillon was dispatched to the police station to secure Ed’s release.

At the police station it was all “Yes, Mr. Dillon” and “Right away Mr. Dillon” and Ed was released.

2003

The News&Observer, 2003