The Faculty Club Newsletter

April 2004

           This year the Board’s Events Committee and I are working to provide high-quality members’ events, and this month we have a choice selection for you. With May, people start to disperse for summer assignments, so we’re trying to make April very special: two great guest speakers for evening events, and a winemaker’s dinner with an emphasis on the history of wine. Mark those calendars! Of course, May will bring us two of our traditional events: the Mothers’ Day Brunch and then the spring wine-tasting on the Glade. Renovation of the newly named California Wing is now complete, with the exception of the installation of some pictures. The suite and the haunted tower room (now named appropriately the Cal Spirit Room), along with the other rooms in the wing, are already delighting guests. Keep them in mind as you host visitors to the Bay Area! I again want to thank our staff for doing a great job in serving all our members and keeping your visits to the Club enjoyable. Thank you.

        On April 29th we have planned a special winemaker’s dinner with Chris Phelps, winemaker from Swanson Winery, in Oakville. But this is not your usual wine evening. At 5:30 guests will assemble for a short seminar on the history of wine by the distinguished wine historian, Nina Wemyss, whom some of you may remember from the History Channel’s “A Brief History of Wine.” Not only did she serve 17 years as Robert Mondavi Winery’s historian-lecturer, but she has also produced her own Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc under private labels. We would have liked to print a photo of Nina, but none of the websites praising her work includes a picture. At 6:30 there will be a short blending seminar, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. – another fine feast by our chef. The cost will be $60 per person, all inclusive. Reserve by calling extension 224.

        Stanley Brandes is Professor of Anthropology and has a serious interest in nature photo-graphy. This exhibition, “Stones,” features a variety of pebbles, rocks, and boulders as both natural and cultural elements. Their enormous variety and ubiquity make stones a never-ending source of contemplation. The black and white photos (except for image #2) were printed in a conventional darkroom. Digital techniques were used to print color photos and image #2.

        The Monks’ CD is in its second impression (or burning, or whatever) and is available at the Front desk. Prior Milt Williams leads the Monks Chorus and the Solisti Brass in a varied program of musical highlights from past Christmas parties, including “Gaudeamus Igitur,” “Hail to California,” and the “Faculty Hymn.” Christmas with the Monks costs only $15 plus tax.

       This month enjoy a choice of two continuing delicious entrées, or the daily chef’s special, at the bargain dinner in the Kerr Room. Members are encouraged to join those who continue to discover and enjoy the biggest dining bargain in Berkeley. Come any weekday evening before 6:30 and enjoy a three-course dinner for the remarkable price of $12.95, including a choice of soup or salad, and dessert. These dinners are a great idea for evenings when you’re going to a basketball game or an event at Zellerbach Hall

       April 14th is the date for the Club’s annual meeting. Please note the change from the previously announced date. Plan now to join the membership, Board of Directors, and Management at the annual meeting. Financial reports will be presented and President Bruce Bolt will discuss the past year’s achievements and the new year’s prospects. Bring to the meeting any of your special concerns.

       The day of wine and roses approaches: corsages and champagne. A delicious buffet. Delightful decorations. What better can you do for your mother (or the mother of your children, or your best friend’s mother, or your best friend who’s like a mother to you – or even, for the ultimate guilt trip, for your children)? Reservation forms are included with this newsletter. Get your reservations in early – some popular hours fill up fast!

       Members of the GG should have received their invitations to lunch on April 8th. The company will share their experience of new opportunities of all sorts that open up later in life. This group is open to all widows of members. Call the Club, extension 224, to reserve for lunch. For more information, call Phyllis Schafer at 510-704-9951. For reservations, call 510-540-5678, ext. 224.

       No, not in our own dear Club! On April 15th join us for a lecture and discussion with Tom Campbell, former congress-man and now Dean of the Business School. Tom will tell us more than some of us probably want to know about corruption and scandal in high corporate circles. He brings to the talk his experience of twelve years in the House of Representatives and the California State Senate, as well as his service as Professor of Law at Stanford (before he saw the light). Guests will assemble at 5:30 for his presentation and a question period, with dinner at 7 p.m. The cost will be $25 per person, all inclusive. Reservations at ext. 224.

        Yes, it is springtime again, and the vintners of northern California will once again be vying to catch your attention with their latest releases and old favorites. Gather a group of friends, repay all those social obligations, and enjoy the tasting on May 14th. The usual pattern: tasting from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., and dinner and dancing from 7 to 9. If you’ve never experienced a wine tasting evening on the glade, you owe it to yourself to try one. You will get hooked, as so many members have before you. Cost: $38 per person, all inclusive.

        Continuing our plan to present every couple of months a faculty author in a discussion of one of his or her recent books, we have invited Franklin Zimring, Professor of Law, to discuss with us his latest book: Contradictions of American capital punishment (N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2003). You do not have to have read the book to take part in the discussion. Professor Zimring’s book is an empirical study of large changes in practices and conceptions about the death penalty in Europe and the U.S. over the past 25 years. In the U.S. now executions are most commonly seen as a kind of victim service rather than as governmental acts. He relates the current presence of executions to a vigilante tradition, with the lack of such a tradition signaling a lower rate of execution. Come at 5:30 for the presentation and discussion, and enjoy more talk over dinner at 7 p.m. Total cost: $25 per person. Reserve at ext. 224.

        Earlier this year Bonnie Mager exhibited at the Club a group of her gouache and pastel paintings of the Berkeley campus. Among them was a handsome pastel of “The Faculty Club with Lantern.” Bonnie has now donated the painting to the Club and the House Committee will decide where it is to be hung. Many thanks, Bonnie!

        Remember that you can enjoy the convenience of the Club’s morning breakfast special. From 7 to 10 a.m. you can come by the Kerr Room and for $2.99 enjoy juice, eggs, coffee, and toast. Pick up a newspaper on the way to campus and relax after that commute or uphill bike ride.