A game almost two years in the making took place Monday afternoon at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in memory of James Harold Middleton.
Middleton, a Winona native who died in 2021, taught or influenced the majority of about two dozen people who gathered to play bridge, said Liz Mounger, who also learned from Middleton.
James Tullos, who lives in Brandon but knew Middleton, said he was asked after Middleton’s death if he would organize a game of duplicate bridge in Middleton’s honor since that was Middleton’s game.
“One of the things that makes duplicate bridge special is the relationships it builds,” he said. “There are people playing from all walks of life.”
Middleton’s widow, Gloria Middleton, also played in Monday’s game.
“It’s very meaningful for me,” she said, “This is the first time I’ve been back since my husband’s death, and it’s been good to see old friends and play bridge again.”
Mr. Middleton became active in playing duplicate bridge after he retired as state director of the U.S. Social Security Administration. He along with Joseph Dehmer of Jackson attended more than 88 tournaments all over the country. Mr. Middleton attained the rank of Silver Life Master and was renowned for his ability to teach the game.
Dr. Mike Carter, a retired ear, nose and throat doctor who was Middleton’s bridge partner for over 30 years, used to travel with Middleton all over the country to play the game.
“They’d just go off to Gatlinburg for a week, and I remember one time, James got tired and went to bed, and Mike just found another partner,” said Mounger, who was at Carter’s table.
Tullos said the social nature of bridge is what makes the game and gathering special. Greenwood’s Duplicate Bridge Club has brought people together since the early decades of the 1900s but almost ceased to exist in the 1990s until Mary McNeil, who was 80 at the time, reorganized and directed the club.
The club’s challenge, then, is similar to the problem Wes Clemons, one of the players, said bridge clubs in general are facing now: how to attract younger members.
“There are a lot of different reasons people play,” he said. “For example, it’s mentally stimulating and provides a social outlet — I think that’s why most of us that are here like to play — and studies show that it may help prevent Alzheimer’s as we age. But the decline in the population of bridge players is a challenge because people who play bridge tend to be of a certain generation,” he said.