Keith and Margot Clarke hosted the annual Geography Department Christmas dinner on December 9. The party featured a wonderful spread of food, an impressive selection of beer and wine (no 2 buck chucks in sight), and a great array of desserts. Students and faculty really stepped up to the plate with their contributions, including setup and cleanup. Diners congregated at tables set up in the Clarke family living and dining rooms, and many chose to socialize outside near the warmth of the heat lamps (there was more alcohol out there than inside, which may have contributed to the warmth as well…) All in all, The weather was kind, the setting was luxurious, and the party was a smashing success (as the Brits say)!
One high point of the party was the fact that it was held on Keith’s birthday, and the birthday cake was a work of art. Well, at least it was “geographical,” and, according to Keith, all the little pirate flags were recycled from his daughter Lila’s previous birthday cake. Whatever the motif, the birthday ceremony was a touching counterpoint in terms of giving, receiving, and sharing.
The tradition of faculty hosting year-end dinner parties goes back to the 1990s when the Clarke family opened the doors of their (then) Goleta home to Geography personnel on several occasions. The dinners became an annual event during Keith’s reign as Chair from 2001 to 2006, and they then moved to Oliver Chadwick’s abode during his stint as Chair of the Department. Dar Roberts, our current Chair, doesn’t have the space to host the event, but he more than makes up for it by contributing to the organization and logistics. As with our departmental barbecues, these occasions serve to bring the Department together by providing a sort of social glue for our multidisciplinary and multi-cultural personnel. As they say, “A family that plays together stays together.” (Of course, they also say that “Families are like fudge – mostly sweet, with a few nuts mixed in.”)
Article and photos by Bill Norrington—more photos can be seen on our Event Photos web page.
