American Contract Bridge League
Unit 484   District 20

Profile

Don Provence

(Published February, 2004)

Don Provence is the newly elected president of the Ashland Club. Don and his wife, Kathleen, have lived in the Rogue Valley for only four years, but they have become enthusiastic and contributing members of our bridge community. They have chaired two sectionals, and co-chaired the hospitality committee.

Don is serving his second term on the Ashland board.

He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in various locations in the state. He went on to major in Bible studies at a college in Monticito, California. His advanced degrees were in Philosophy. Don was a Philosophy professor at San Francisco State for 34 years.

During his education and teaching career, Don had several colorful odd jobs. He loaded cantaloupes in the summer months, did janitorial work, maintained florescent lights, and mined manganese. Along the way he married, and he and his wife had two children. Don, today, is the proud grandfather of four and he has one great-grandchild and one on the way.

Don met Kathleen in 1988 at a duplicate game in Santa Rosa, California, where she worked as a social worker. They married and became winning bridge partners.

In Don's adolescent years he played Rook, Old Maid, and Flinch with various family members. He was introduced to rubber bridge while in graduate school, but didn't play duplicate until he reached 50. Don has earned 930 masterpoints. He and Kathleen became Life Masters ten years ago.

Don has enjoyed teaching bridge to beginners and intermediates in Ashland. He meets with students in small informal groups at the participants' homes where they deal hands and discuss bidding, offense and defense. He teaches from the ACBL Audrey Grant Series for the beginners. "Teaching classes is a major contributor to bringing

in new players," says Don. He can look around the room at a bridge event and name many of his successful students.

Mike Lawrence is Don' s favorite bridge author. Don recommends Lawrence's software on Counting at Bridge. When he is not reading bridge books, he enjoys mysteries and other kinds of novels.

One of Don's goals as president of the Ashland Club is to see "Alison working less." He wants to encourage responsible volunteers to help with the details of the game and "leave the directing to Alison." Don stood up on the day he became president and said, "Bring any problems you have to me, not Alison."

The thriving Ashland Club will be well served by its new president.

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