December 07

          Dear Members!
Along with the rest of the staff at the Club, I want to wish all members and their families a very happy holiday season and a great New Year. I would also like to personally thank all our staff for doing a wonderful job of serving out membership. You have been great to work with and I am looking forward to the new year. Most immediately, we are looking forward to welcoming members at our annual Christmas parties. I am enclosing a list of the member events we have planned so far for 2008. Mark your calendars early. Don’t be caught short as some were for the November Winemaker’s dinner! As usual, additions will be announced in the Newsletter as they are added. I look forward to working with and serving you in the new year. I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions so feel free to contact me. Thank you for the many kind notes and useful comments from this past year.

       Finally, after the disastrous oil spill, the crab boats are coming in and the terrible longings can be requited. What would a Bay Area winter be like without at least one gluttonous indulgence in crabs, crabs and more fresh crabs? Our Crab Festivals have been a great success. Plan now for the 2008 version, on January 25th. Enjoy a great crab and seafood buffet with your friends. And this year there will also be music, performed by students from the Music School. Reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7. The cost: $40 per person. Make your reservations now!

       On November 16th, the Faculty Club Wine Committee sponsored the last of the 2007 calendar year wine dinners. It was Navarro Winery and was a huge success for the sellout attendee club members. Wine maker Jim Klein held his audience ‘in his hands’ with his very folksy presentation of his experiences making wine at Navarro for over 16 years. Club chef Carl Cheney again excelled and garnered fine praise from attendees and the wine maker! Unfortunately we could not accommodate all those who wished to come. The lesson? Book early for the next winemakers’ dinner on Friday, February 8, 2008. It will feature 3-5 East Bay wine makers in an interesting wine dinner format. (Some of you may have seen the East Bay Vintners Alliance featured in the local “Oakland” Magazine October 2007- For more about the East Bay Vintners Alliance click here. Call soon for reservations!

       At their November meeting, the Golden Girlfriends – the group of members who are also widows of members – celebrated the 100th birthday of Mila Mangold, one of the first members of this group that was organized around the time of our Club’s centennial five years ago. Congratulations went out to Mila from the Board of Directors and the Managers, and Felix provided an elegant birthday cake. We all hope she will continue to grace the Club with her presence for a long time to come.

       By the time this Newsletter reaches the members, the parties will be behind us. But let us hope they will have been as joyful and successful as in years past. If you didn’t come this year, make a New Year’s resolution to join the happy throng next year. And meanwhile, have a wonderful Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or whatever festival you hold dear around the time of the Winter Solstice.

       Monk Dick White is once again showing photos of Monks and Christmas party memories. Dick is in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. He has served as a member of the Club’s Board of Directors, but now restricts his service to the ever-demanding Wine Committee. He joined the Monks in 1963, after learning that no auditions were required for membership. His photos recollect the fun that the Monks and their listeners always have.

       The last day of service before the holiday closing of the Club will be December 21st. Till then you can enjoy the Club’s regular meal services (except on the days of the Christmas parties). Until January 2nd the Club will be open only for private events, but hotel rooms will be available for your out of town guests

       In addition to organizing wine maker dinners each year, the Wine Committee brings wines to your attention that you may want to try at home or with friends. Here’s another great value wine. Over a number of years, members of the wine committee have found the Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc to be a superb wine value. In a recent blind tasting, we again rated it high. The 2006 seemed a little different from previous vintages and perhaps that differenced fooled some of us in guessing what wine it was. But “good” it certainly was! Our notes include: “Fruity with classic grassy flavors. Dry and very floral, citric. More of a glycerine feel in the mouth than last year”. This wine is available at Bay Area supermarkets for $8 - $12. BEVMO recently had it for $7.99, and your Editor regularly buys it at the El Cerrito Trader Joe’s for that price.