I invite you to stop by the Northampton Senior Center some Friday afternoon at 12:55 to witness the rigidity that bridge playing seniors experience weekly.
The acting person in charge will likely be guarding the door to the room that has been allocated for our weekly duplicate bridge afternoons. Although the room is empty, we are forbidden to enter until the magic hour of 1 p.m. You will find 24-28 seniors waiting impatiently to enjoy an afternoon of friendly duplicate bridge.
Our group has explained to the administrators that to set up duplicate bridge for the players, we need to know exactly how many people are playing and we need time for seniors (who range in age from late 60s to mid-90s) to settle in. Instead, we are forced to hover in a group waiting for the “guard” to unlock the door, thus creating a rush for tables, pencils, scoring sheets, cards and bidding boxes.
Our actual game then spans a 1:15-3:40 p.m. timeframe, as we have strict limits to be out of the building by 3:55 p.m. On a recent Friday, once again, we were unable to finish our boards for the duplicate scoring process, a disappointment for all.
You might be wondering why, when the building is almost empty, we are forbidden entrance to room. We, too, have asked that same question multiple times and have been told that in the future the room might be used for lunch or other activities.
I’m writing to implore the hiring committee to move swiftly to hire a kind, humane leader who will confront the culture of control that has been the norm at the center except during Linda Desmond’s tenure. She was a leader who seemed to like having seniors use the center, even people who play bridge.
Kathy Itterly
Florence