The Faculty Club Newsletter

August 2002

           The Club staff is now busy getting the building ready to receive you all as the new academic year begins. Our constant work of refinishing furniture, deep cleaning, and re-stocking of supplies reaches its annual high point around this time. But the bar and dining rooms remain as quiet oases, where you can entertain your friends or just unwind after a long day. The Early Bird special dinners will be continued in August. Dine at the Club before 6:30 p.m. for $11.95! (See the note later in this issue on this bargain).

        In this Centennial year we continue to look at individuals who have a special resonance in the history of the Club. This month we are honoring Irving Stringham. If anyone can be singled out as the founder of the Faculty Club, it is Professor Stringham. He graduated from Harvard College in 1877, at the advanced age of 30, and his biographers note that he was looked up to as a respected older brother to whom other students turned for advice. He completed his doctorate in mathematics at John Hopkins University, and after two years studying in Leipzig, took up professorship at Berkeley in 1882. At that time the University had only 215 students and a faculty 27! He rose to be Dean of the College of Letters and Science. In 1901 Professor Stringham was appointed chair of a committee on the Berkeley campus. He guided the committee through its dealings with the Regents that resulted in the nascent Club's getting "permission to occupy a portion of the University grounds in Strawberry Canyon adjoining the Dining Association building." (This Association had formerly served students as well as faculty operation.) Professor Stringham was instrumental in getting Bernard Maybeck to volunteer his services as architect of the new club house, to be built at cost "not to exceed $2,000." The new building was dedicated in September, 1902. (The original building now makes up the western half of the Great Hall- the part with the fireplace and gabled ceiling.) Over the first decade the Clubs' existence, Professor Stringham served as president, working on the formulation of Club bylaws as well as handling practical matters of seeking financing and plans for further growth. In 1904 the building was expanded to include the current bar, the upstairs library-conference room, and the Tower room. By the time Professor Stringham stepped down from his presidency a further addition-the present Howard and Chernin lounges, and the residence (now hotel) rooms above them had been built to designs by John Galen Howard. Thus Professor Stringham presided over the foundation of the Club as an institution and the building of the core of the building, the part that most people think of when they think of the Club. Truly "Our Founder."

Winemaker's Dinner-St. Francis

        A reminder that the next winemaker's dinner will be held on Friday, August 23rd, featuring Saint Francis Winery from Sonoma. This is right before classes begin, a good start to the new academic year. The winemaker present will be Lori Knapp. Her title as Associate Winemaker and she is in charge of reserve lots and experimental wines. We expect her to bring some high-end wines, the best that St. Francis has to offer. Winemaker's dinners allow members to taste fine products, along with a great dinner. The wines are also available at highly advantageous prices to attendees. Reception: 6 p.m.; dinner; 7 p.m. The cost will be $60 per person. Reservations required (540-5678, Ext.224)

        On July 17 the Board of Directors approved the 2002-2002 budget prepared by the Controller and General Manager. It follows a year that, despite the Sept. 11 business cancellations, concluded with a profit (before depreciation) of $224,442, to be applied to essential renovations and replacements. The new budget estimates the 2002-2003 annual total income as about $3 million with significant payroll and health benefit increases predicted. Your help? The membership numbers are not growing. Many faculty colleagues are just unaware of the benefits. All members are asked to recruit. Evening dinner in the Kerr room with a membership discount is hard to beat.

— Bruce Bolt, President

Bop with Bopp!

        Once a year we lure Tom Bopp down from his mountain. He sneaks away from Yosemite Park and spends an evening with us, turning an otherwise routine Friday into an evening of inexcusable piano nostalgia. On August 9th you will get cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7:00 p.m., and Tom, more or less constantly all evening, for only $40 a person. Reserve now (extension 224). A lot of us plan to be in the Great Hall that evening rather than driving all the way to Yosemite to enjoy this internationally known entertainer extraordinaire.

Fall Wine Tasting!

        Mark your calendars now for the September 20th Fall Wine Tasting in the Glade. The tasting begins at 5:30, with dinner at 7, to be followed by dancing. One of the most popular events on the Club's calendar so get your reservations in now: $30 per person, plus tax and tips. Call Mark, at extension 224 to reserve your place.

Art Show of the Month - August

        Member Martha Putnam Usinger (Cal class of 1934) exhibited two of her inspired photo portraits in the June show put together by the Golden Girlfriends. Now we are privileged to see a wider selection of her work. She became interested in the photography of human faces of every ethnicity during the years she accompanied her late husband, Professor Robert Usinger, on his travels to conduct worldwide research on insects. Living in places and getting to know her subjects personally provide the human dimension of her work, while she continued to study her craft during graduate work in many places around the world.

The Biggest Bargain in Berkeley

        ...Or maybe the entire Western United States. In the interest of reportorial accuracy, your editor investigated the early bird special in the dining room. A picky restaurant goer, she was impressed. For $11.95 she was served a good salad, with a choice of chicken, salmon, or calzone as the entree. Her guest opted for the soup to begin with and raved about it. It turned out that the kitchen had a few servings of swordfish available, and our waiter offered this as an additional option that on of us took. Everything was carefully prepared and delicious. Desert was fresh tasting lemon sherbet. The only shock was the bill. Where else can you get all this for $11.95? Even with the addition of a couple of glasses of really good wine, along with tax and tip, we still paid less for both meals than we would pay for one wineless meal in downtown Berkeley. Felix is continuing to offer this special throughout September. This precise details (entrees desserts) vary, but the price and quality remain the same. Just get to the Club on weeknights between 5 and 6:30 p.m.

Golden Girlfriends Lunch

        In July this group enjoyed a preview of the art show of Edythe Heda's ketubahs, to be exhibited at the Club in October. This month we have another of our member, Martha Usinger, showing her remarkable photo portraits in the Club's gallery. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 3rd. Members will receive a mailed invitation later this month. Program to be set later. For information about the group, call Marty Cullom (655-4356).

 
 

 
 
 

The Faculty Club Newsletter is published monthly by:  The Faculty Club  University of California  Berkeley. CA 94720-6050  Contributions and comments may be mailed to the Editor, Phyllis Brooks, at the Club, or by e-mail to pbrooks@vdn.com  Board of Directors, 2002-2003:  Bruce Bolt, President  Dick White, Treasurer  Dan Melia, Recorder  Jack Coons Joyce Kallgren  Bill Oldham    Phyllis Brooks  Club Manager: Felix Solomon

Club numbers:  Telephone:  510-540-5678  Fax:  510-540-6204  Reservations:  Kerr Dining Room:  Extension 0  Parties:   Extension 5  E-mail: info@berkeleyfacultyclub.com  Website: www.berkeleyfacultyclub.com  Kerr Dining Room hours Breakfast 7:30-10:00; Lunch M-F 11:30 –1:30; Dinner M-F 5:00-8:30  Bar hours: M-F 11:30-1:30; Happy Hours 4-30-6 30; closes at 8:30 p.m.  Buffet lunch: 11:30-1:30 M-F  Guest accommodations available:  Reservations may be made at 540-5678, ext. 3 or through our website.  Membership: Call Felix, at ext.  9.

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