The Faculty Club Newsletter

December 2001

            The renovation of our kitchen will begin on December 17th and we will be serving limited meals until Friday, December 21st. Then the Club will close for service until January 2nd. Hotel rooms will continue to be available during this holiday break, and cold sandwiches and sodas will be sold at the Front Desk.
            On January 2nd the Club will resume food services with a limited menu, with full services starting again on January 14th once renovations are completed.
 
 

            Join wine lovers who want to explore the connection between the taste of wine and the nature of the land on which the grapes were grown. On Friday, January 25*, from 5 to 7 p.m., Dr. David Howell, U.S. Geological Survey scientist and co-author of a forthcoming U.C. Press book on Napa Valley wines, will show and tell us about the vineyards as we taste a number of outstanding wines.
            There will be two tasting "nights." First, we'll compare a number of pinot noirs made from one year's grapes grown in different vineyards by the same winemaker and by the same process. Then we'll taste as many as seven outstanding (and expensive!) cabernet sauvignons made of grapes from different vineyards by various winemakers.
            Participation will be limited to 40 people. Hors d'oeuvres will be served to accompany the tasting. The all-inclusive price is $40. Reserve your place now by calling Mark at 540-5678, ext. 224.

            The next meeting of the Golden Girlfriends will be held on Tuesday. January 22nd. Members who attend these luncheons will receive notification in the mail during late December or early January.

            Our artist for December is Mi Jung Penzien, who grew up in Seoul, Korea. She also holds a B.F.A. from the California College of Arts and Crafts.  She uses processes of western painting along with features of east Asian painting such as spreading, abbreviating, and brushing calligraphic strokes.  Her paintings represent images of transformed idols, pictographs, and figures, transforming simple natural forms into images of a complex world.

            Mrs. Phoebe Apperson Hearst is away for the holiday, but she and Moosetradamus are delighted to announce The Grand, Once-in-a-lifetime, Centennial Palindrome Contest.  The Club gazes for and aft with the effect in this uniquely palindromic year of 2002.  Win a prize for the best palindrome that includes the word “Ides.”  Example: (bad): I, madam, I saw stars edit noontide’s rats.  Was I mad? Am I?
            Contestants will be rewarded for efforts that have the simplicity and the thought-provoking qualities of the classic “Do geese see God?”  In case of ties, ambivalent prizes will be awarded.  The decisions of the judges will be equivocal.
            Winners will hear their entries read by Moosetradamus during the Centennial Party, so sharpen your pencils and your wits and put the holiday season to good use.

            The board has re-established the institution of a Thursday Club Table in the Bar.  The concept?  Our lives are often fragmented as we become more and more enmeshed in the concerns of our own little corner of the University. We need ways to expand our acquaintance with colleagues in other disciplines. Try it. Each Thursday, you can come by the Bar and eat your lunch at the designated table. Introduce yourself and find new acquaintances-and possibly friends.

             As you may know, the only personnel who receive tips in the club are the wait-staff in the Kerr Dining Room and those who staff special functions.  All other personnel of the Club (in the kitchen, behind the desk, upstairs, and downstairs) serve us faithfully, cheerfully, and well all year round at modest wages and salaries.
            The annual Christmas Box Contribution enables us to show these staff members in a material way that we appreciate their service and wish them well this holiday season and during the new year.
            Take the opportunity to drop off a check or authorize a contribution to be charged to your account. Your generous contribution will help continue a significant Club tradition.

            As we found out last month, our friendly Moose has taken to making predictions!  He's preparing now for the exquisite party  (or binge, if you prefer) now being planned for the Club's Centennial on March 15th.
            First the intellectually respectable part of the celebration: at 4:30 that afternoon, in the Library, plan to attend the colloquium on "The Idea of a Community of Scholars." Speakers will be Richard Muller (Physics), Anne Kilmer (Near Eastern Studies), Ken Jowitt (Political Science), and Martin Trow (Center for Higher Education).
            Then the epicurean part begins: at 6 p.m. drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and from 7 to 8:30, a Felix Feast! (During this time: Discreet Discrete Entertainments are planned.)
            After that? Dance with Kelly Park, sing with Roanne Neaville, reminisce with Tom Bopp, recoil with Alan Dundes, groove with Carl Pager and Jake Quesenberry, groan with Gareth Thomas, moan with Milton’s Monks (and the Mouseketeers), rejuvenate with U.C. student performers, nostalge with Water Alvarez and Charles Bond, and perform (discreetly) your own thing.  We also hope to beware “The Ides of March” or “Coming to Bury Caesar,” featuring a lean and hungry Al Bowker and the authentic bard, David Stevens.
            And the grand palindrome contest! (See elsewhere in this issue.)  Watch the January and February issues for details of reservations and costs (moderate).
            By now you should have received your invitations for this popular event on December 5th, 6th, and 7th.  Once again, we remind you that all reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be honored only by return of the form provided – no telephone, fax, or e-mail reservations.

            We are delighted to reproduce below a picture of former President Clark Kerr, ex-Chancellor Al Bowker, and Sandy Eldberg, to whom the Elberg Room was dedicated on October 12th.

            May we now remind you that this is the time to consider tax-deductible year-end donations to the Centennial Improvement Fund.  Checks made out to the Regents may be sent to the Club, with a note specifying that the donation is for the Fund.
 
 

            At noon on Thursday, December 20th members are invited to join Friends of the Bancroft Library at their traditional holiday round table lunch' a reading of favorite stories or passages related to Bancroft collections or interests. The Round Tables, held in the Lewis-Latimer Rooms, aim at stimulating thoughtful discussion as well as promoting awareness of the research resources of the Bancroft Library.  Buy a sandwich and join the group.