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Three TDs honored by peers, ACBL

82nd North American Bridge Championships DAILY BULLETIN 8
Editors: Brent Manley, Paul Linxwiler and Dave Smith

Three tournament directors – Nancy Boyd, Matt Smith and Jean Molnar – have been recognized for exceptional contributions to the game and the organization.
Boyd and Smith were selected by their peers in the Professional Tournament Directors Association for the Tom Weeks and Fred Friendly awards, respectively. Molnar received the Jane Johnson Award for exceptional customer service among TDs.

The Tom Weeks award goes to the TD who exhibits extraordinary professionalism. The Fred Friendly Award goes to the TD who best exemplifies the spirit exhibited by the late Paul Stehley, known as Fred Friendly for his dedication to making tournaments fun for players. The selections were revealed at the PTDA meetingearlier in the week.

In announcing the winners, PTDA Commissioner of Elections Terry Lavender described Weeks winner Boyd as a “techno-weenie,” a designation Boyd acknowledged as accurate. The San Ramon CA resident said, “I am a bit of a closet geek. I know Windows quick keys and I do a lot of Excel spread sheets.”

A TD since 1972, Boyd has been a fulltime ACBL employee since the late Nineties. Boyd, who plays bridge whenever her schedule permits, said her job is enjoyable in part because “no day is every the same, and in general the people are really nice.” Besides playing bridge, Boyd said, she enjoys watching “bad TV.” Smith, who lives in Victoria BC, has been a TD for 27 years and a full-time ACBL employee since 1995. He was promoted to national tournament director in 2000. Equally popular with players and his peers, Smith he “loves directing,” and really enjoys the people he works with. “That’s what keeps me coming back.”

Lavender said Smith was a natural choice for the Fred Friendly Award because “he is always willing to share humor and expertise. I would want to be a director like Matt Smith.” The popular TD showed his sense of humor in accepting the award, joking, “Thank God I won it before (TD Gary) Zeiger!” Molnar, of Chula Vista CA in the San Diego area, was picked for the Jane Johnson Award for “extraordinary customer service,” a companion to the identically named award given to a member of the Headquarters staff. Molnar, a bridge player from the age of 12, started directing in the early Nineties at the suggestion of the manager of the club where she played – Adventures in Bridge. She was hired to work at tournaments by Tom Quinlan in 1995 and became a full-time employee six years ago. Molnar works mostly out West.

“I love directing,” she said. “I get to work with so many fabulous people. It’s exciting and fun.” As for the customer service aspect of her job, Molnar said, “One of the biggest parts of our job is making sure people have fun.”