Sally Young

Sarah L. Sheppard "Sally" Young (1905 – February 27, 1970) was an American bridge player from Philadelphia who won many important tournaments in the 1930s and 1940s. She was the first woman and 17th player to achieve the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) rank of Life Master (ACBL Life Master).

Young was born in Pennsylvania, one of eight children born to George and Marcella Sheppard (née Stehr). Her paternal grandparents were born in Ireland, and her mother's grandparents were born in England. Young began playing bridge at 15 and was self taught until Charles Goren took her under his tutelage. Young was one of several strong players from the Philadelphia area who contended for "national championships" (ACBL) during the 1930s–40s—including her four 1939 Reisinger teammates, below.

With John R. Crawford, Goren, and Charles J. Solomon, Young won the Chicago Trophy (now Reisinger) teams-of-four championship in 1937, 1938, and 1939. (They played as a fivesome with B. Jay Becker in 1939.) In 1947 she teamed with three other women—Jane Jaeger, Kay Rhodes and Paula Ribner—and they shared the title with two other teams. (The Reisinger does not break ties. It was the first of 6 ties in 85 renditions to 2013.) It remains the only win, albeit shared, for an all-women team—the only win in North America in any major open teams competition.

Young and Helen Sobel won the annual North American women pairs championship (now Whitehead Women's Pairs) in 1938 and again in 1939. That year she became the first woman to achieve the rank of ACBL Life Master; Sobel became the second in 1941. (They were 17th and 25th overall, of whom the first twelve preceded ACBL.)

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