The Faculty Club Newsletter

May 2004

           As I write this note I see that the year is flying by quickly. We are hosting many graduation events, and planning for the Mother’s Day Brunch and our wine tasting on the glade. We ended the academic year with several special events, some with good attendance and others not so successful. The Events Committee and I try to plan new and interesting events specially for our members but we do need your support to continue them. If you have any thoughts or ideas on what kinds of events you would enjoy, please call me or drop me a note. We are very excited about our renovated rooms. The newly finished California Wing is a great place to house your out-of-town guests. The Kerr dining room, with its constantly changing menus, continues to be a convivial place to meet friends for a great dinner, or even to make some new friends. The early-bird dinners continue to grow in popularity, with live piano music on Thursday and Friday nights. Feel free to drop by to see me, or to use the suggestion box to give comments on Club service. Have a wonderful summer! Thank you.

        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.

        Continued from April – Stanley Brandes is Professor of Anthropology and has a serious interest in nature photography. 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.

        Our watchful archive hunter, Steve Finacom, spotted an early postcard of the Club on Ebay. Your loyal editor bid on it, and got it. It seems to have been published around 1908. The building has not yet received its 1914 extension of the Great Hall, which was undertaken at the same time as the two story addition housing the Howard Lounge and California Wing bedrooms. In fact, the picture looks a lot like the photo dated to c. 1904 in Gil Paltridge’s history of the Club

       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

       At the April 14th General Meeting the results of the Board election were announced. Elected to two-year terms were Phyllis Brooks and Dan Melia. Edward Revelli was elected to a three-year term, in line with the recent revisions to the bylaws. Immediately after the meeting the Board met to elect officers for the year.

President: Bruce Bolt
Vice-President: Karl Pister
Treasurer: Dick White
Secretary: Dan Melia
Jack Coons will continue to chair the Events Committee, and Phyllis Brooks will chair the House Committee and continue to work on Club publicity. Other committee chairs will be posted on the Club notice board soon.

       The elegant and always popular Mothers’ Day Brunch will be held on May 9th. A glorious buffet. Delightful decorations. Champagne for breakfast! A few last minute reservations can be honored – inquire at 540-5678, ext. 224.

       Members of the GG held their last meeting of the academic year on April 8th. The group will resume its lunches in August. This group is open to all widows of members. They meet every two months for lunch and a short program. A warm and welcoming group. For more information, call Phyllis Schafer at 510-704-9951.

       On July 16th join Jack Coons and a group of enthusiastic but not necessarily talented singers who will gather at the Club to show that members do not need to be entertained all the time. They can entertain themselves (and the waiters serving them dinner) with renditions of old favorites whose melodies are familiar to all of us. This year our leader and accompanist will be talented Stan Fong, well known through-out the East Bay for his work with choral groups, both high and low. This will definitely be one of his more exciting assignments. Reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7, and singing till exhaustion sets in. The cost will be $35 per person, all inclusive. Reservations at ext. 224.

        Felix is once again putting aside his collection of fine ties and formal jackets to don the whites of a chef. Those of you who have enjoyed one of his Indian dinners will know that this is a not-to-be-missed event. Reserve the evening of June 18th and bring some friends to the Club to introduce them to the varied talents of our Manager and the wonderful food he produces. Reception at 6, dinner at 7. The cost is $30 per person, all inclusive. Reservations at 540-5678, ext. 224.

        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.