The Annual
Meeting and Awards Dinner in May provided
a gratifying culmination to the year of effort
on the part of our Board and participating members.
We were fortunate to have most of the Teaching
Excellence and Scholarship
awardees present. As
usual we were impressed and humbled by the accomplishments,
originality, and dedication their records and their
presentations demonstrated. We returned to the
UC Berkeley Faculty Club for the dinner, which
we have found offers the best combination of cost,
ambiance, and location of the places we have tried
in recent years. We are willing to consider alternatives,
however, so if you know of other suitable venues,
please let a member of the
Board know.
During
the business part of the meeting, the members
present approved the dues increase necessitated
by the increase in the dues per member we must
pay National, and the slate of officers proposed
by the Chair of the Nominating Committee, Marvin
Richards. The departure of three hard-working
members of the Board—Julia Antoniades, Chapter
Liaison; Jennifer Jones, Program Chair; and Maria
Norall, Recording Secretary—left the Board
with three vacancies, and three large pairs of
shoes to fill. As reported elsewhere in this newsletter,
we succeeded in finding two excellent replacements
but still lack a Program
Chair. The Program Chair
organizes the events (except for Asilomar) from
which we generate modest profits that amount
roughly to one Scholarship per year and provide
the main way members get to know one another
and pursue the kinds of cultural activities most
Phi Betes enjoy. We realize that in this age
of universal busyness the job of Program Chair
may be daunting for one person to take on and
are willing to consider having two or three co-chairs
who can share responsibilities, either by region,
by program type, or by season. If you are interested
in exploring this possibility, please contact
me, .
The summer brings with it travel to distant places,
visits with family and old friends, and for those
of us with gardens to tend, a constant struggle
to keep them from becoming impenetrable jungles.
I hope you have enjoyed a fair share of these
pleasures over the summer and hope to see you
at one of our events this fall.
Respectfully submitted,
President
Upcoming Events
Person making a reservation MUST
BE a Phi Beta Kappa Member, but need not be a member
of the Northern California Association.
If you plan to attend any of the PBKNCA
events, please clip or copy the appropriate coupon
in the hard copy of the Newsletter, fill it out
and mail it, with your check, to the address
indicated. No confirmations or additional details
will be sent; be sure to save this web address
or the Newsletter!
First Vice President - Programs
Petaluma's Historic
Cinnabar Theater
See
Historic Petaluma! Few cities
in America have earned the reputation
that Petaluma can claim. From one
of California’s largest cities (1860s)
to the "World's Egg Basket" (early
1900s) to Telecom Valley, Petaluma
is an economically thriving and progressive
community.
From the
1880s through the 1940s, Petaluma became
famous as a poultry town and was known
as the "World's Egg Basket". Petaluma
was home to the world's only Chicken
Pharmacy (as featured in National Geographic
and Ripley's Believe It or Not). Great
wealth was accrued during this period
and is still evident in commercial buildings
and homes from that time. Come join us
for a docent-led walking tour of the
historic "A" Street District, including
the Old Palms B&B, the St. Vincent
De Paul Catholic Church, and many Victorian-era
homes. Following the docent portion of
the tour, we will be touring a Julia
Morgan private home, where we will also
enjoy light refreshments. You can drive,
or take a 10-minute walk, from the walking-tour
location to the Julia Morgan home.
Special
Notes: The Julia Morgan home we
will be touring is a currently occupied
residence. Attendees are requested
and cautioned to respect the privacy
of the occupants, and not open closets
or drawers, or go beyond the bounds
of the tour.
Date:
Saturday, September 24, 2005 Time:
10:00am – 11:30 for the walking
tour, 11:30am – 12:30
for the home tour. Deadline:
September 15, 2005
Price:
$25.00 per person
Directions
to Start of Walking Tour – Petaluma
Museum, 20 Fourth Street, Petaluma,
CA 94952. Phone 707-778-4398. Website
From
South of Petaluma: Take
101 North to Petaluma Boulevard
South ramp – go 0.1 miles.Continue
on Petaluma Boulevard South – go
2.3 miles.Turn left at
B Street – go 0.1 miles.
Turn right at Fourth Street.
From
North of Petaluma: Take 101
South to Petaluma Boulevard North
ramp – turn right at the light – go
about 3.2 miles.Turn
right at B Street – go 0.1
miles.Turn right at
Fourth Street.
Parking: There
is an enforced 2 hour street-parking
time-limit in downtown Petaluma,
so be careful where you park. The parking
lots in the city are free and have 2,
4, and 8-hour limits – look for
posted signs. There is a parking lot
just beyond the museum if street parking
is not available.
Directions
from Petaluma Museum to Julia Morgan
private residence will
be given to attendees. Please
contact
Sebastopol
Apple Farm Tour (no worms allowed!)
Sebastopol
used to ship thousands of tons of apples
all across the country. But, the success
of the wine industry has led to most
of the apple orchards being replaced
by wine grape vineyards. Even those who
continued in the apple business saw the
focus move from fruit to juice. Then,
the competition came from Washington
State, and now China dominates the apple
juice producing market.
However,
there are a few hardy survivors, like
Lee Walker, who are determined to preserve
the heritage of apple production in Sebastopol.
The Walker family currently grows 25
varieties of fruit annually. Lee Walker
sees the future of local farms in specialty
and heritage apple crops.
Join us
for a tour of the operations of this
family business. Due to the nature of
this family owned and operated business,
we will be starting early for our tour
to avoid interfering with business operations,
and will not have access to the entire
property.
However,
the family has graciously allowed us
to visit, and will share a 45 minute
tour covering the history of the business,
how it is run, the types of apples grown,
and answer questions about their apple
growing operation.
During
our tour, we will be allowed to taste
up to 15 varieties of specialty apples
grown on the farm. At the end of the
tour, you will have an opportunity
to purchase the apples you have
tasted (and can’t live
without!).
Date:
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Time:
Tour 1: 9:30am – 10:15am.
Limited to 15
participants.
A second tour may be added at 10:15am
if enough people sign up. Deadline:
October 1, 2005
Price: $10.00 per person
Directions
to Walker Apple Farm, 10955 Upp Road,
Sebastopol:From SF and South: Take
101 North to Highway 116 – turn
left towards Sebastopol. Go
through Sebastopol (North) and continue
on 116 for three to four miles after
leaving Sebastopol to Graton Road.
Turn left on Graton Road (at the
stoplight). Follow Graton Road for
about two miles and then there will
be Walker Apple signs to the Farm.
Note:
the Farm is at the end of ½ mile
scenic dirt road.
Hawk Hill
in the Marin Headlands is one of the
best places in the U.S. to witness the
fall migration of birds of prey. Join
Ranger / Naturalist Phil Johnson as we
trek up Hawk Hill looking for HAWKS,
FALCONS, EAGLES, HARRIERS, AND OSPREY.
During the right conditions, this spot
can produce over 100 HPH (hawks per hour).
There will be a raptor talk, and we may
be able to see the captured birds and
a banding demonstration. We may also
be able to see the raptors released into
the wild while we are there (depending
on if (awkward construction??) they catch
the birds, of course).
Special
Notes: Bring binoculars, snacks,
sunscreen and water. All trash must
be packed out of the headlands. There
is no picnic area on Hawk Hill, but
you can sit down anywhere on the Headlands
to eat and enjoy the view. There are
portable restrooms at the location.
Click
the picture to see pictures taken
on our visit!
Meeting
Place:We
will meet at the restrooms at the
entrance of the tunnel before the
short walk up to Hawk Hill (about
500 yards). Date:
Saturday, October 22, 2005 Time:
11:00am – 2:00pm, banding demonstration
at 12:30 or
1pm. Deadline:
October 1, 2005
Price:
$20.00 per person
PLEASE
NOTE: In order for this tour to happen,
we have a minimum required participation
of 10, and are limited to a maximum
of 25. So, sign up early!
Directions
to Start of Tour – Hawk Hill
- Marin Headlands: From SF and South: Cross
the Golden Gate Bridge and take the
second exit, Alexander Avenue.
Get in the left lane following signs
that read "101 San Francisco". Turn
left at the stop sign and cross under
the freeway. Turn right onto Conzelman
Road and drive 1.8 miles to Hawk
Hill. Park alongside the road before
it becomes one way and then walk
up the west side of Hawk Hill past
the locked gate. It's just a few
hundred feet to the summit. From the North: From
the north, after going through the
Waldo Tunnel, take the last Sausalito
exit to the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area (the signs read Golden Gate
National Recreation Area/Sausalito).
Stay to the left. Turn left at the
stop sign then right up the hill onto
Conzelman Road. Stay on Conzelman Road
for 1.8 miles. You will see a sign
for Hawk Hill. Parking: Please
note that parking is limited and carpooling
is the best option.
San Francisco Holiday
Walk
This
walk was so popular the last
two years that we are re-running
it…
Do you
think of Christmas decorations in San
Francisco as Macy's windows and Union
Square? Are you suburban types longing
for an adventure? Then you are in for
a treat. Please plan to join us for a
guided tour of the San Francisco holiday
scene you have probably never before
experienced. Tom Filcich, who regularly
leads walking tours of San Francisco
for the College of Marin, will be our
guide to places most of us never see
- at least not during the holidays. We
plan to meet at Peets Coffee in the Ferry
Building Lobby at 10 a.m. During our
three-hour walking tour, we will explore
the new Ferry Building, visit hotel lobbies,
and see business decorations that you
never dreamed existed. We will end our
tour with lunch, at your own expense,
at the San Francisco center, which offers
a variety of choices and prices - not
to mention shopping opportunities. After
that, you are on your own to shop or
return home at your leisure. The cost
is $20 per person and our group is limited
to 30 people. Dust off your comfortable
walking shoes and plan to join us on
Friday, December 2, 2005 for a holiday
experience you will not soon forget.
Date:
Friday, December 2, 2005 Time:
10:00 am Deadline:
November 15, 2005 (limited to 30 participants)
Price: $20.00 per person
Directions:
Ferry Building Clock
Tower, Embarcadero at the foot of
Market Street, San Francisco. The
Ferry Building is best reached using public
transportation. Marinites can
take the 9:15 Larkspur
Ferry. Those with access to BART or MUNI can
take either to the Embarcadero Station.
The historic
trolley cars (Line F Market) stop
directly in front of the Ferry Building.
If you must drive, there are parking
lots at the north end of the Ferry
Building at Pier ½ and the
Pier 3 Washington at Embarcadero
Lot. There is limited metered parking on area surface streets. There
is also a reasonably priced parking
lot at Bay and Embarcadero near Pier
33 but you will have a bit of a hike
to the Ferry Building.
Don’t forget our twentieth anniversary! But instead
of buying china (traditional) or platinum (modern),
all you have to do is mark your calendars now and plan
to spend Presidents' Day Weekend 2006 with Phi Beta
Kappa at lovely Asilomar in Pacific Grove. We start
our retreat on Friday, February 17, and end on Monday,
February 20. If you've never heard of Asilomar, or
have never been there before, Asilomar is a state conference
center in Pacific Grove, a small enclave between Monterey
and Carmel. And those of you who are concerned about
the weather, you have no cause for worry. The weather
in February along the coast is usually better than
it is in summer. Instead of that season’s cold
and fog, we usually enjoy sunshine. And even if it
does storm, temporary inclement weather does little
to mar Asilomar’s beauty, and takes nothing
at all away from the excellent company of fellow
Phi Betes.
Our retreat / conference always begins with dinner
Friday evening and ends with lunch on Monday. During
the long weekend, we provide a mix of interesting,
thought-provoking speakers and activities, as well
as ample free time to enjoy the lovely seaside atmosphere.
People who work sometimes come late and leave early.
It is even possible to "skip" some programs,
as no one takes attendance or gives exams. And because
some of you wanted to know: Dress is very casual.
The main goal of our conference is for us to
enjoy ourselves in a beautiful setting, but our
secondary goal is to raise money for scholarships.
The $100 per person registration fee is used
to cover conference costs (speakers' expenses,
a.v. equipment rental, wine with Sunday dinner,
postage, duplicating, office supplies, etc.).
This past year's profits enabled us to fund two
of our $4,000 graduate scholarships. (And for
those of you who attended in 2005 and missed
this information in the April newsletter, $90.31
of the 2005 $100 registration fee – which
most of you paid in 2004 - is fully tax deductible.)
How much does Asilomar cost? The Asilomar fees
for 2006 are: $336.55 per adult, double occupancy;
single occupancy, $541.15; youth (ages 3-17), $196.57.
This includes three nights' lodging and all meals,
beginning with dinner on Friday and ending with
lunch on Monday. Asilomar Conference Center handles
all room reservations.
The theme for this year’s twentieth anniversary
program is the "Best of the Monterey Bay Area." To
achieve this goal, we have enlisted the help of
one of PBKNCA’s best, Bob Baronian and his
lovely wife DeeDee who live in Carmel Valley, to
provide us with invaluable suggestions for topics
and speakers. Although there are still some refinements
to be made to the Asilomar 2006 plans, thanks to
the Baronians, we already have a remarkably strong
program lined up. Dr. William Gilley, a marine
biologist from Stanford’s
Hopkins Marine Lab, will speak to us about the
journey John Steinbeck and his good friend Doc
Ricketts took to the Sea of Cortez. Another Baronian
find, Dr. Gary Glatzmaier from UC Santa Cruz, will
do a presentation on his area of expertise: the
earth’s inner
construction from its mantle to its core. In addition,
the Baronians persuaded Grant Voth, professor emeritus
of Monterey Peninsula College, to enlighten us
concerning the Bach-Beethoven connection.
But, that’s not all. After trying for a number
of years, we have finally convinced our own Masako
Miura’s good friend (and frequently voted
best college teacher in Santa Cruz) Sandy Lydon
to speak to us. He is keeping to our conference
theme with the topic "The Ten Worst Things
That Ever Happened to the Best Place on Earth." And
Monterey Bay Aquarium Senior Marine Biologist
(retired) Steve Webster has agreed to lead us
on a tide pool walk, although the tides that
weekend will not be really at an optimum low.
We are still working on some other great ideas,
so be sure to check the November newsletter for
Asilomar 2006’s final program. But as those
of you know who have attended Asilomar in the
past, it really does not matter who the speakers
are. The lovely setting and the extremely interesting
attendees are what make our retreat truly special.
Now that you know about Asilomar in general
and this year in particular, we hope that
you will mark your calendars and join us
for our special anniversary celebration,
which will begin on Friday, February 17.
If you attended Asilomar 2005 (or any other
of our Asilomar conferences) and enjoyed
yourself, please let your fellow Phi Betes
know and encourage them to join us in 2006.
(Guests are also welcome.) Just fill out
the coupon and send me your registration
fee; as soon as I receive your check, I will
send you the Asilomar housing form. (Again,
Asilomar handles all room reservations.)
For those of you who very generously gave me
your deposit in February, you do not need to
fill out the coupon. By the time you receive
this newsletter, you should have already received
the Asilomar housing forms. If you have not
(or cannot remember if you have) given me a
deposit, please call or email me.
SEE PAGE 6 OF THE HARD-COPY NEWSLETTER FOR THE
ASILOMAR COUPON
, Asilomar Chair
Teaching Excellence
Call for Nominees
Scholarship and
teaching go hand in hand. Nearly everyone who
cares about the life of the mind can remember
at least one teacher, and perhaps many more,
who made a special contribution to his or her
development. And experts are never quite sure
of their expertise until they have tried teaching
what they know to others. For these reasons,
among others, F B K NCA
vigorously encourages excellence in teaching.
In pursuit of this principle, F B K NCA
has for many years made annual Excellence in
Teaching Awards. Each award consists of a handsome
certificate and a $500 honorarium. Any member
of PBK may
make nominations. Eligible nominees are faculty
members of the seven universities and colleges
in Northern California that harbor PBK Chapters.
Please make a
nomination for a 2006 Teaching Award. The application
form is available here,
is printed on page 2 of this newsletter, or
it may be obtained by contacting me. Applications
are due late fall, but please make them now
while memory is fresh. To nominate a teacher,
fill out the form including an account of why
you think your nominee deserves recognition
as an outstanding teacher. Mail the form to
me.
Chairman, Teaching Excellence
Committee
2005 Scholarship Winners
At our Annual Meeting at the
Berkeley Faculty Club, PBK NCA awarded
nine $4000 scholarships to the outstanding graduate
students listed below:
Catherine BeckerArt
History UC Berkeley
Ayelet Ben-Yishai Comparative
Literature UC Berkeley
Michael Cohen Chemistry
and Chemical Biology UC SF
San Francisco Holiday
Walk