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Paul  HODGE

 Nato il 24 marzo del 1910, di professione avvocato, Paul è stato uno dei più popolari insegnanti e giocatori negli anni  tra il 1950 ed il 1960.

 Medaglia d'argento alla Bermuda Bowl del 1961 dietro il Blue Team che in quegli anni era imbattibile e Capitano della Squadra USA Femminile che vinse lo stesso metallo alle Olimpiadi del 1964, sul piano nazionale ha vinto 9 NABC tra i quali ricordiamo i Mitchell del 1953/1956 e le Reisinger del 1955/1964.

 Sempre elegante e dotato di gran eloquenza, Paul è anche stato uno splendido dicitore di Vu-graph ed un apprezzato analista.

 Nella metà degli anni '60 si spostò da Abilene dove viveva, a Houston dove diresse con successo il Bridge Studio.

 Scomparso alla fine del 1976, la ACBL gli ha concesso nel 2010  l'onore di far parte della Hall of Fame.

  Paul Hodge was born in 1910 and was an attorney by profession. A popular bridge player, teacher and expert in the 1950s and 1960s, he has been selected to receive the Von Zedtwitz Award in the Bridge Hall of Fame Class of 2010.

The Von Zedtwitz Award was created to honor a deceased player who would have been elected to the Hall of Fame in their time, before the institution was created, but is not well known today.

During the height of his career Hodge won 11 major national titles and was runner-up for nine others. He became Life Master #282 in 1950 and---as a key member of a team with interchangeable partnerships that included bridge greats John Gerber, George Heath and Ben Fain---he cut a large swath through Texas and Southwestern regionals in the 50s and 60s.

Hodge won his first national championship in the Men’s Teams in 1953 with Heath-Fain-Gerber and Harold Rockaway. Three days later he won his second national championship when he captured the Mixed Pair title. In all Hodge won the Men’s Team four times, the Open Pairs twice, the Open Teams twice, the Life Master Pairs and the Marcus Cup.

Hodge represented North American in 1961 in Argentina, defeating France and Argentina to finish second to Italy in the World Team Championships. He was selected as non-playing captain for the U.S. Women’s team in the 1964 World Bridge Olympiad.

He was an eminent lecturer, coach and teacher. Well dressed, soft spoken but an eloquent and polished public speaker, Hodge was also a skilled analyst and was a prized addition to many panel shows and vu-graph presentations.

In the mid-60’s Hodge moved from Abilene TX to Houston where he remained active as a teacher and as proprietor of the highly successful Bridge Studio of Houston.

He disappeared in December, 1976 and in 2010 ACBL elected him in Hall of Fame.