American Contract Bridge League
Unit 484   District 20

Profile

Sandy Oliveras

(Published September, 2004)

It has been only one and a half years since Sandy Oliveras first graced our bridge clubs with her presence. In that time she has made amazing contributions to bridge in the Valley, and endeared herself to all of us. Sandy currently sits on the Unit Board. She keeps the phone list up to date. She will be chairing the Rogue Valley Sectional tournament this October; she is partnership contact for the Rogue Club and for other bridge events; and she has contributed to the Bridge Newsletter. In addition to all that, Sandy brings many goodies to our club games and recently provided a complete and yummy dinner for the August Unit game.

Sandy joined Bill Holt's Easy Bridge class in June of 2002 after she retired from her 35-year teaching career. She took up bridge "because of its intellectual nature and to find agreeable social interactions." She insists that the bridge clubs have "more than surpassed my expectations." Sandy has already amassed over 60 master points and she aspires to be a Life Master. "If I never make it," she says, ''that's OK, because the enjoyment of the game and the mends I've made is reward enough." Sandy remembers one blunder caused by extreme nervousness at the July 2003 National tournament held in Long Beach, Calif. She opened 1 NT and her partner, Mary Bishop, responded 2H as a transfer bid. Sandy passed, and the result was a disaster. However, Sandy and Mary were able to laugh about the incident, realizing that National tournaments are extremely stressful.

Sandy grew up in a family where bridge was never played. Her first exposure to the game was when she walked into an Anaheim Bridge center in the late 70's and said she wanted to learn how to play the game. A kindly Life Master took her under his wing and taught her the basics.

Sandy's dad was a career Marine. She was born on November 10, an unfortunate birth date. Mom and Dad always had a ball to attend on that day, because it was the anniversary of the founding of the Marines. The family moved often, and after living all over the USA (including Hawaii) during her formative years, Sandy ended up back in California where she was born. She graduated from CaI State University at Fullerton with a triple major-French, Speech and Political Science. She completed her MA in Rhetoric and Public Address. Thence started her long career in teaching. Sandy is proud of the fact that many of her students won state championships in debate, and one became a National Champion. Sandy was president of the California Speech Coach Hall of Fame.

Sandy and her husband, Dick, retired to Oregon in 1992. She was "drafted" to teach Speech' and English at North Medford High School. She taught for 10 years, retiring in 2002. In addition to learning bridge, she then took on a candy making business and a craft business. She doesn't advertise; she finds as much business as she can handle through mends and relatives. She and Dick have been married for 24 years. Sandy has two stepdaughters, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

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