The Faculty Club Newsletter

January 06

           I want to wish you all a very happy and successful New Year. Your support of the Club and its activities over the past year have heartened all the managers and staff. It’s been a pleasure to work for you all and to see the Club prosper. The Christmas parties are now just a wonderful memory. But there are many new events waiting for you in the New Year. We are almost unique among faculty clubs in offering a whole roster of year-round member events, and January and February offer a variety of possibilities for combating the winter blues. Come and enjoy a lounge singer, a dinner dance, a crab feed, a wine dinner – all designed with our members in mind. Watch for more! I look forward to working with and serving you in the New Year. As always, I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions so feel free to contact me. Once again, Happy New Year! Thank you.

       The weather over Christmas has prevented crab fishermen from getting their usual holiday hauls, but we’re hoping to have plenty on hand for our annual crab feed. Celebrate the New Year with a gluttonous indulgence in crabs, crabs and more fresh crabs. Our Crab Festivals have been a great success. Plan now for the 2006 version, on January 13th. Enjoy a great crab and seafood buffet with your friends. Reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7. The cost: $40 per person. Make your reservations now at extension 224.

       Club members do not seem to be able to get enough of the work of Tom Bopp, popular pianist and song stylist. His repertoire ranges from the Gay 90s to – well; we’ve never really determined that! You can hear him in his appearances here at the Club, and at the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite, where you would pay a hefty sum to hear him perform. Another great Club bargain! On January 20th come to an evening of fine food and fun-filled music. Reception at 6; dinner at 7. Cost: $45 all-inclusive. Reserve at ext. 224.

Widows, Widowers, and Other Singletons: Special Invitation to Julia Morgan Lunch

       The Golden Girlfriends- the informal lunch group of widows of members – is planning a special program for February 14th. Grace Fretter will be presenting a short program in one of her many dramatic personae – that of Julia Morgan, the great Berkeley woman architect. The group is extending an invitation to anyone who is feeling alone on Valentine’s Day – men as well as women. Lunch costs $17, with an extra $5 charge for wine. Call Hope at extension 224 to reserve for this event. This group is decidedly unstodgy and welcoming. For more information, call Phyllis Schafer at 704-9951.

       As the concert and theater season starts to heat up, it is time to start enjoying the bargain dinners in the Kerr Room, especially before events at Zellerbach Hall. This is the biggest dining bargain in Berkeley. And now you can enjoy our new evening look – black tablecloths in the Kerr Room. Come any weekday evening before 6:30 and enjoy a three-course dinner for the remarkable price of $13.95, including a choice of soup or salad, and dessert. Reservations at 540-5678 ext. 0.

       For this February’s winemaker’s dinner we have something unusual and really special. The wines of Bokisch Winery in Lodi are among the few California wines made from Spanish varietals and in the Spanish tradition. Grape names like tempranillo, garnacha, graciano, and albariño are not heard every day in the Bay Area. But Markus Bokisch, with deep roots in the Spanish wine industry, is working to make the Spanish grapes and techniques an important part of the California viticultural landscape. Join us on February 17th for a meal planned around selected Bokisch wines and the opportunity for Club members to place orders at an advantageous price. This great evening will cost $60 per person, all inclusive. Make your reservations now at extension 224.

       Whenever Cal plays at home, fans can enjoy dinner at the Club before going to the game. On Saturdays the offerings will be limited to hamburgers and the like, but during the week you can take advantage of our regular bargain dinners.

       Princeton economics professor Orley Ashenfelter has stirred up controversy in the wine world by applying a straightforward formula (based on weather statistics) for predicting the potential future prices (and therefore the quality) of wines of any vintage. He publishes a wine newsletter called Liquid Assets and takes delight in producing ratings of wines that turn out, at least in the auction rooms, to be more accurate than those of most wine experts who rely on tasting young wines. On March 17th come to the Club for a lecture from this wine iconoclast, the man who is regarded as “Neanderthal” by some wine writers and a genius by others. Lecture and dinner: $40 per person. Reserve now.

       Bonnie Mager is returning to the Club with a further showing of her gouaches and pastels from studies and photos taken on campus. We last enjoyed her work in January of 2004 and are looking forward to seeing her latest productions. Check her website at www.BonnieMager.com

       We are now offering the opportunity for informal, light meals in the Bar on weekday evenings. If you need a quick snack before returning to your department for an early evening meeting, you can now do it in the peace of the Club Bar. The new Bar menu is already in place – check it out.

       It’s not too soon to start thinking about the one you are going to invite to this annual event – an elegant evening with a four–course dinner, with wine, and music and dancing for the rest of the evening. On February 14th the reception will begin at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7. The all-inclusive cost is $60 per person.

       The Club continues to serve a generous breakfast in the dining room every week day. For $2.99 you can enjoy juice, coffee or tea, eggs, and toast. After the grim commute, unwind with your newspaper and get ready to fact the day. We don’t discriminate. You can eat the same breakfast even if you walk to campus!

       After ten years of service on the Board (with one one-year break) your Editor has retired from active service as of this month. My place will be taken by Ken Ribet (Mathematics Department), long-time member of the Wine Committee. I shall continue to edit the Newsletter and serve on a couple of committees. - Phyllis Brooks