James Hatcher, founder of Town and Gown Theater in Birmingham, Alabama, had produced the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City in 1960 forming close relationships with some of the returning title holders. Subsequently he was frequently in Los Angeles interviewing actors for his theater productions, and always rendezvousing with Marian Conway, Lee Meriwether, and Jean Bartel. At one of these meetings he revealed that his dream was to direct these three former Miss Americas in a show, and called in a couple of weeks with the suggestion of “Follies” which would require five additional Miss Americas!
Marian, Lee, and Jean were joined by Bebe Shoppe, Marian Bergeron, Evelyn Ay, Lynda Meade, and Barbara Walker in Birmingham in April 1978 for an unforgettable month that forged indelible friendships. Before parting they agreed to a plan that they would get together every year after that in a different city anywhere in the world. And they have!
Jimmy always joined the group and occasionally husbands were allowed. One year on a river cruise in France, husbands were not invited but Gary Conway showed up anyway!
Every year has hundreds of phone calls, letters, and emails among these friends discussing schedules and trip details. Each reunion is laughter, family pictures, theater, music, tours, food, WINE, shopping, and reminiscing. There is sadness and loving memory of Jimmy, Evelyn, Barbara, and Marian Bergeron.
Marian Conway September 20, 2009
Above is a photo of the participants from an international tour of our vineyards with professors and students from the leading viticulture, geology and enology schools throughout Europe. This gathering was also a component of the Cal Poly Wine & Viticulture Summer Exchange program. Fifty students from the Swiss School of Enology at Changins, and viticulture and enology students, as well as prominent faculty members, from universities in Italy, Russia, and France atttended.
This latest vineyard project-study has been a continuation of recent gatherings of The Professional Soil Scientists Association of California (PSSAC) Annual Meeting, and the South Coast Geological Society's special field trip and tour of the vineyards. These prominent university and professional meetings underscore the intense interest by the world's soil science community in Carmody McKnight's renowned confluence of soils and microclimates. This most recent tour included a detailed examination of several excavations representing rare soil sites. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's prominent soil scientists as well as Carmody McKnight’s Greg Cropper conducted field discussions about our unique geology and textbook soils and the sustainable, biodynamic viticultural practices at the vineyard. A highlight was tasting 100% varietal, un-manipulated wines grown directly on specific soils that have been scientifically documented and researched for over twelve years. This was an incomparable and significant opportunity.
This all brings to mind recent major pronouncements by the leading wine writers exemplified in the noteworthy book by Karen MacNeil, The Wine Bible: “The beginning of the twenty-first century may come to be known as the Era of the Vineyard, a time when the spotlight is once again on the grapes and the land.” Most all agree that this is exactly correct and certainly exciting. Little of this new awareness, coupled with the growing movement of sustainability, actually permeates the finer wine shops and restaurants. They still seem to succumb to the troublesome allure of international factory and corporate winemaking even though such support directly contradicts who they actually are as small business owners and family enterprises and who they should be identifying with and reinforcing.
I believe it will not take much to bring this new awareness to the wine public as they are becoming cognizant of the specter of our industrial food supply (let alone globalized winemaking) as revealed in the current film and accompanying book (an engrossing read) Food, Inc.
Marian Conway September 10, 2009
