September 2019 Calendar
Tuesday, September 3
Club Reopens
Thursday, September 5
MeistUrsingers
Welcome to all Taverners who like to sing! Downbeat at 12.20, lunch afterwards (Reserve with Mr. Fay).
Monday, September 9
Gallery Opening at 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Gallery Opening. “What I Made on My Summer Vacation” has been postponed until November. On September 9, the Gallery will open with the paintings of George Nick.
George Nick’s reputation is well-established and well-documented. No less a figure than John Updike has sung his praises, writing,
“One thinks naturally of George Nick’s paintings in terms of good conscience and simple truthfulness, of saying instead of judging. . .. some of the loveliest of his paintings are homely ones, others more up-scale. . .. Any subject will do, as long as the subject is not exploited for its anecdotal or picturesque qualities but is taken in good conscience as an occasion for pure painting.”
Through his teaching, most notably at the Mass. College of Art, George has, inter alia, touched many Taverners, so it is a pleasure and a privilege to mount an exhibition of his work in advance of his one-man show at the Gallery Naga in October. In addition to this “preview,” George will conduct an artist’s roundtable on October 9.
The opening reception will be Monday, September 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Guests welcome.
Tuesday September 10
Arts Round Table Field Trip at 11:30 a.m.
Homer at the Beach:
A Marine Painter’s Journey, 1869-1880

Taverner Bill Cross is Curator of a major exhibition revealing the formation of Winslow Homer (1836-1910) as a marine painter. Including more than 50 works by Homer and a wealth of contextualizing material, the show appears exclusively at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, MA, through December 1, 2019.
Bill has generously agreed to provide a special tour of the exhibition for Tavern members and their guests on September 10 at 11.30 am, and has arranged for a lunch afterwards at a nearby restaurant.
The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in downtown Gloucester, about an hour’s drive from Boston. Admission to the museum for non-members is $12, prix fixe lunch is $38, including food, wine, beer, service and tax. Space is limited. Please sign up for the tour with Mr. Fay and indicate if you plan to stay for lunch.
Wednesday, September 18
History Lunch at Noon
The Tavern welcomes back Leo Damrosch, Professor of Literature at Harvard. He has written wonderful biographies of Tocqueville, Rousseau, Swift (a Pulitzer Prize finalist choice), and Blake. We look forward to hearing about his latest, The Club, Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age.
Joseph Epstein in a recent review in the Wall Street Journal wrote,
“Impeccable scholarship at the service of absolute lucidity, resulting in a work that can be enjoyed by thoughtful readers both inside and outside the academy–learned, penetrating, a pleasure to read…”
Then there are the illustrations: 31 elegant color plates and numerous black and white drawings of the book’s dramatis personae are scattered through this splendid book.
Guests are welcome. Please reserve with Mr. Fay.
Thursday, September 19
MeistUrsingers
Monday, September 23
Committee on Elections at 5:30 p.m. in the Library
Tuesday, September 24
Play Reading Lunch at Noon
The Play-Reading Luncheon Series begins the new season on a “high note,” with a reading of Farinelli and the King by Claire van Kampen. Come armed with your inner counter-tenor (not to say castrato), to take on this marvelous historical play about the power of music to calm, restore us to sanity, and forge relationships. The arias of Handel — many written for Farinelli — will add a dimension of delight.
The date is Tuesday, September 24, 12:15 in the Library. Reserve with Mr. Fay as usual, and address any questions/comments to Impresario george.r.heaton@gmail.com.
Wednesday, September 25
Book Club Lunch at Noon
The Tavern Medical Department, including but not limited to Drs. Osteen, Brooks, Fischer, Tarlov, Scott, Scott, Churchill, and Reid will discuss Amy Gutmann and Jonathan D. Moreno’s new book Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die: Bioethics and the Transformation of Health Care in America – the inequities (and iniquities?) of our American health care delivery system.
Members and guests most welcome. Reserve with Mr. Fay.
Thursday, September 26
Special Event Concert and Dinner
Musicians from the Boston Early Music Festival will return to the Tavern. This fabulous trio is Robert Mealy (violin), Avi Stein (harpsichord), and Beiliang Zhu (cello).
Guests are welcome. Cocktails 6:00 p.m.; Concert 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner. Please reserve with Mr. Fay.
Mark your calendars:
October 3
Special Event Harvest Dinner
Taverners will embrace the arrival of Fall with a joyful celebration of the harvest on October 3. Our inspiration is the world-famous gathering each autumn near Beaune, in Burgundy, where winemakers bring their favorite bottles to share with their guests for a glorious BYOB extravaganza. Come and bring a bottle or two of your favorite. Bring a friend. Chef Salem will prepare a delicious dinner, followed by a sumptuous assortment of local cheeses and a season-savvy dessert along with local chocolates. What better way to reunite with your fellow Taverners after the summer hiatus? Guests welcome, reserve with Mr. Fay.
October 7
Gallery Opening with Fred Kellogg
Big Dates:
- October 31; Halloween Plays
- December 12; Carols
- December 19; Christmas Feast
- March 26, 2020; Narrenabend
- May 11, 2020; Annual Meeting
To download a printable version of the newsletter, click here.
— Nancy Maull, Secretary