Larry Weiss Trophy
 August 2010

The Trophy

The New England Bridge Conference (NEBC), the ACBL's District 25, periodically awards the Larry Weiss Trophy. In the Bridge World magazine, the late Edgar Kaplan once said the late Larry Weiss was "the first gentleman of bridge." When Weiss, a longtime New England expert, died, his brother Stephen White of Special Projects, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York, donated the trophy, which is inscribed, "For Grace and Skill at the Bridge Table."

Three Criteria

White listed three criteria for the award:

  • Some degree of success in contract bridge during the year for which the award is made.
  • Some degree of association with New England bridge.
  • Notably, superior behavior and gracious presence at the bridge table.
The first of these isn't tied to any specific events or masterpoint achievements. It requires only evidence of extensive subjective judgement that the candidate is a skilled player. The second requires a familiar face at NEBC events. The third speaks for itself. Mr. White left these determinations to the NEBC, which has normally delegated an awards committee to consider annual nominations for the Larry Weiss Trophy by NEBC members.

Members of District 25 are encouraged to nominate a deserving individual for this award. Please email nominations to Bill Hunter at billhunter.1@comcast.net or to District 25's secretary Carolyn Weiser at secretary@nebridge.org. Most years, the district has voted on the award in the fall.

Past Recipients

In some years, no award has been made. Recipients have included:

  • 1981 John McDermott EMBA
  • 1982 Ethel Keohane EMBA
  • 1985 Bernie Miller RIBA
  • 1991 Thomas Goodwin MBA
  • 1992 Charlie Coon EMBA
  • 1994 Stepen Gladyszak EMBA
  • 1995 Ann Reynolds EMBA
  • 1997 Thomas Wilder EMBA
  • 1999 Rosemarie Goodwin MBA
  • 2000 Bill Lenville WMBA
  • 2001 Barbara Shaw CBA
  • 2003 Jane Smith CBA
  • 2004 Tony Petronella RIBA
  • 2005 Geoff Phipps NHBA
  • 2006 Phil Sharpsteen VBA
  • 2007 Walter Fontaine RIBA
  • 2008 Bill Hunter EMBA