Chris Patrias
Unit 143 Tournament Director, Emeritus
Presented January Sectional 2015
As many of you may not know, Chris Patrias is retiring after 35+ years of service as a tournament director at the unit, district and national level. This is his last tournament in St. Louis as our Director in Charge. His official retirement date is May 1, 2015. After that he will only be part time.
- He began as a TD over 30 years ago while living in the Twin Cities
- He moved to St. Louis and began directing from here over 25 years ago
- He was the First ACBL Field Supervisor, which has since been expanded to 8 positions nation-wide
- He was the Chief TD at ACBL Headquarters for 1 year in early 90s
- He has made many contributions to all Tournament Directors (TDs); this includes creating a standards manual for all directors, called the “Tech Files” which is still in use today; the original work remains in ACBLSCORE
- He was the 2nd youngest TD in 1990 to be promoted to National TD, the highest TD designation, and has held that title ever since
- He has been the Director in Charge for most Sectionals and Regionals in St. Louis that I can remember
- He has been the Director in Charge for Spring NABCs every year since the mid-1990s; this has made it a lot easier for St. Louis volunteers during past NABCs that have been hosted by St. Louis
- He has been a resource and counsel for countless questions over the years from both players and other directors
- Special accolades from Rick Beye: they travelled together for about 10 years; Chris was a great mentor on laws and movements and was the most important influence on Rick’s directing career and for that he is forever grateful
- Personal comment: We have been spoiled for many years, starting when Chris moved to St. Louis. Having a National TD living in St. Louis and being responsible for the recruiting and training of other TDs has been great for this area
Even when difficult, Chris has approached all these assignments with a pleasant manner and positive demeanor sincerely appreciated by directors and players alike. Therefore, on behalf of Unit 143, it is my great pleasure to present the Tournament Director Emeritus Award to an excellent ambassador of bridge and a very good person who many others and I are proud to call friend-----Chris Patrias.
We will miss you.
