To the editor:

Thank you for the article in Tuesday’s Lawrence Journal World about bridge lessons at South Junior High. (The names of participating students appear in today’s Club News on page 7B.) I would like to give due credit and share what local folks may find interesting.

The opportunity at SJHS came about because of Ginny Johnston’s tenacity in finding a teacher who values bridge instruction. Eldon Herd, Mrs. Johnston and her husband, Lew, and I shared time in the classroom.

Eight gifted students from a magnet school in Kansas City participated, and one of those students has four grandparents in Lawrence who attended. It is remarkable to me that with school budget cuts, and this late in the semester, that two schools approved a field trip. The big thing for our bridge club was that this was the first Kid’s Day youth tournament in Lawrence and involved two states.

Kaw Valley Bridge Club members mentored and helped with hospitality — too many to name with length restrictions on this letter. Chris Lane, club manager, contacted ACBL for gifts for participants, arranged for mentors and directed the game. The club paid all expenses for the event.

Students commented on benefits of learning bridge. It is wonderful we helped introduce them to a lifelong FUN activity that is exercise for healthy minds. We hope to see more photos in People & Places and the Refrigerator Page.