"Here's to the winners..."
From the October 2001 District 7 Supplement to the ACBL Bridge Bulletin

>Player-friendly directors

District 7, and the Atlanta area in particular, is getting quite the reputation for its player-friendly directors. Kathy Whidden, who recently moved from metro Atlanta to Winder, GA and who has been a full-time ACBL employee for less than one year, won the first Jane Johnson Award. The honor, named for the longtime manager of the ACBL's Club and Membership Department, will be given annually to the ACBL employee who provides the best customer service. Jane Johnson died at Birmingham during the recent Fall NABC. [click here for photo of award]

Kathy, who is married to Webmeister Chuck Whidden, was the intermediate/Novice chair at the 1985 NABC in Atlanta when she impressed Edith McMullin (now in charge of EasyBridge!) with her skills.  Edith told Kathy she should look into becoming a tournament director, and Kathy did just that.

Because she had another job, Kathy was a part-time director for many years, working primarily at District 7 sectionals and a few regionals. But now she's a fixture at many regionals and NABCs.

This award comes just five years after Priscilla Smith won the Fred Friendly Award, given annually to the tournament director who best fulfill; the friendly standards set by Paul Stehley (aka "Fred Friendly") many years ago. And Carey Snider won the Friendly award in 1999.

Priscilla and Carey both live in metro Atlanta.