[hallway]

Dear Fred,

Just a little over a month ago you enabled the Beginner Intermediate Lounge. I didn't realise - and if you did you didn't let on - just what we had started. 8)

I want to thank you for allowing me the privilege of setting up a Private Club where the Beginner Intermediate membership may now go to play bridge for their enjoyment & fellowship. For providing us with a place to learn, practice, improve and compete with one another.

During this first month the membership has grown to over 550 , we have held two Imp tournaments and
8 Mentoring Sessions. (that is just the tip of this iceberg ! : )

I cannot Thank you enough for all the help, support and undestanding both Yourself and Uday have given me - (I love the new Club mail messenging service )

This is just the start of a long and exciting journey ahead (there is of course a Wish List )

But what a wonderful journey it has been so far - when I look back over the past 2+ years and reflect on all those milestones reached and surpassed , of all the enhancements , services and much much more that you have GIFTED to the worldwide Bridging Community I am truly humbled and grateful to be given this opportunity to play some small role in BBO's journey into the future.

I am daily exhorted by members of the BIL to "Thank Fred" and indeed I am pleased to pass onto you their myriad messages of gratitude . I will take the liberty of quoting a comment made to me yesterday -
"ONLY on BBO could you get this level of teaching for people like us - FANTASTIC " There are so many ONLY on BBO 's . All of the Beginner Intermediate fraternity THANK YOU .

The Beginner Intermediate Lounge have a CELEBRATION coming up and on behalf of all the members I would like to formally invite Yourself, Sheri and Uday to be our Celebrity Guests for the occassion

The date/time and programme will be announced shortly

[glow=red,2,300]THANK YOU FRED for CREATING and GIVING the BRIDGING COMMUNITY such a WONDERFUL VENUE.[/glow]

[inquiry]

Let me chip in here and thank Fred for all the things Maureen did. The BBO, itself, the BBO forum, and the ability to have the private clubs to create the beginner/novice/intermediate friendly club are all wonderful things for which enough praise can not be heaped on.

Also, lest we forget, let's thank Maureen for all of her hard work driving the B/I Lounge. When I first approached fred about a private club for beginners and intermediates, his restrictions for what he viewed as a requirement for a beginner/interemediate private club was too onerous for me, I must admit. So while I wasn't willing to pick up the ball and run with it as outlined by Fred, I had the good forsight to forwarded Fred's response to Maureen as the person most likely to have to drive to get the club off the ground and running along the lines of what Fred's reply to me suggested. She has exceeded Fred's requirements and my expectations for her after I knew I wouldn't be able to pull this off. She has done an amazing job through her hard work and dedication.

So what a better use of my 1000th post in this forum than to not only echo her thanks to Fred, but thank her too.

Ben-

[keylime]

I am truly honored to know that Fred, a man of great character and substance, a man of honor and humility, has not only grown this community but has invested the significant resources needed to make BBO simple the best bridging community the world has to offer.

It is a great joy knowing that this week I'll be able to offer something back to the group in New Orleans with Fred as our skillful leader. I sincerely hope that Fred can offer us more content and more success growing our membership.

Dwayne

[fred]

Quote

Dear Fred,

Just a little over a month ago you enabled the Beginner Intermediate Lounge. I didn't realise - and if you did you didn't let on - just what we had started. 8)

I want to thank you for allowing me the privilege of setting up a Private Club where the Beginner Intermediate membership may now go to play bridge for their enjoyment & fellowship. For providing us with a place to learn, practice, improve and compete with one another.

During this first month the membership has grown to over 550 , we have held two Imp tournaments and
8 Mentoring Sessions. (that is just the tip of this iceberg ! : )

I cannot Thank you enough for all the help, support and undestanding both Yourself and Uday have given me - (I love the new Club mail messenging service )

This is just the start of a long and exciting journey ahead (there is of course a Wish List )

But what a wonderful journey it has been so far - when I look back over the past 2+ years and reflect on all those milestones reached and surpassed , of all the enhancements , services and much much more that you have GIFTED to the worldwide Bridging Community I am truly humbled and grateful to be given this opportunity to play some small role in BBO's journey into the future.

I am daily exhorted by members of the BIL to "Thank Fred" and indeed I am pleased to pass onto you their myriad messages of gratitude . I will take the liberty of quoting a comment made to me yesterday -
"ONLY on BBO could you get this level of teaching for people like us - FANTASTIC " There are so many ONLY on BBO 's . All of the Beginner Intermediate fraternity THANK YOU .

The Beginner Intermediate Lounge have a CELEBRATION coming up and on behalf of all the members I would like to formally invite Yourself, Sheri and Uday to be our Celebrity Guests for the occassion

The date/time and programme will be announced shortly

[glow=red,2,300]THANK YOU FRED for CREATING and GIVING the BRIDGING COMMUNITY such a WONDERFUL VENUE.[/glow]

You're welcome

I get a lot of "thank yous", but these really are not necessary.
It has really been my pleasure to be so involved in the BBO
project and I am hopeful that our site will help to ensure that
bridge has a bright future. In other words, BBO is not an "act
of charity" - there is plenty in this for me.

But while we are on the subject of thank yous (hopefully not
for long!), some other people should be thanked:

You mentioned Uday in your post and I cannot emphasize
enough the contributions he has made as a programmer,
designer, and business partner. I made the original BBO
program, but it did not take long for the programming
aspect of BBO to become too difficult for me. If it was not
for Uday (who works full time without getting paid, by
the way) we never would have come close to getting
this far.

My other partner, Sheri, has also been great. For one thing,
she does a lot of the behind the scenes administrative work
to help keep BBO running. More important, she is also my
wife and has been willing to put up with me sitting in front
of my PC for 90% of my waking hours during the past 3 years.

The yellows, who put up with a remarkable amount of crap
and never seem to lose their enthusiasm, the many volunteers
like Maureen, Ben, and John Goold, volunteer vugraph operators
and commentators, volunteer teachers, volunteer directors,
volunteer testers... All of these people have helped greatly
into making BBO what it is today. Really there are too many
people in this category who deserve to be named that I am
not even going to try to name them all!

My final thank you has to go to the membership in general
for behaving (mostly), for offering many good suggestions,
for putting up with problems in the software, and for being
part of such a great community!

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[keylime]

Behind a great man, stands even a greater woman....and knowing that Sheri has such tolerance and understanding is a definite credit to your marriage and the community. I totally agree with Fred - she has contributed so very much to our community and has done it with that most rare quality : grace.

The admins really do yeoman's work if one thinks about it. They have to deal with language problems, member issues, play as fill-ins when needed, direct....the list is almost endless. Never once though in my experience have they ever been rude or abrupt - always tolerant and willing to assist. They should be commended for such exemplary acts.

It takes a very special person from of all places an island nation to not only coordinate but to make the Beginner/Intermediate club function. She has exemplifed the true Kiwi spirit, and I am most humbled to call her friend. Maureen, if you only knew the full scope of the people you reach, the many e-mails I've received from them thanking us deeply for the efforts we exert, I think you yourself would be very surprised. The proof is self-evident: this subsection of the community is the fastest growing. Therefore, you have to be doing something right (and then some). We are truly blessed indeed.

I guess this has all come full circle, but isn't life a giant circle?