ALUMNI
SPOTLIGHT
Atlantic Passages When Phil Cerny’s CD was released last year, it didn’t seem possible this was by the same alumnus who wrote books and chaired international panels on globalization and political economy. But indeed, Cerny ’63 is a professor as well as an interpreter of traditional folk music from North America and the British Isles. His album, Atlantic Passages, was released last year in the U.S. by Hudson Records and in the U.K. by Circuit Music. A professor of global political economy at Rutgers, he studied at Kenyon and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques, and received his Ph.D. from
the University of Manchester, England. He went on to teach at the universities of York, Leeds, and Manchester in the U.K., where, he says, “the traditional folk music scene is much better; there are lots of weekly clubs in pubs and a whole younger generation of performers and fans—not just aging ex-hippies like me. I already miss that here.” Making an Atlantic passage of his own this year, Cerny said, “Coming back to the U.S., I knew I had to make my 40-year dream of making a record into a reality. My first public performance as a folk singer,” he adds, “was on the stage at Taft just before a Saturday night movie.
Professor and folk singer Phil Cerny ’63 at the York (England) Folk Day in May
The Alumni A Passion for Wine
California’s Santa Lucia highlands of Monterey provide the ideal winemaking location for Cathy and Chris Weidemann ’85, who met while studying viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis. While there, the two shaped their dream of founding a small winery based mainly on Rhone varietals. 6
Taft Bulletin Winter 2005
Before founding Pelerin Wines, Chris honed his craft as an assistant winemaker for Newton Vineyard and at Morgan Winery. “My first harvest job was in 1988,” says Chris, “at Freemark Abbey Winery, St. Helena, Napa Valley. I had driven solo across the States to start off on this path. I guess it took.” Chris performs almost all of the tasks of the winery operation. In addition to winemaking, he also runs the laboratory, accounting, bookkeeping, marketing, and sales (to some degree), grower relations, and broker relations. With an inaugural vintage in 2002, their current production is around 1,100 cases, which they expect to grow to about 2,500 cases over the next two to three years, and, ultimately, more. They chose the name Pelerin, meaning “pilgrim,” to symbolize their “quest to produce top-level wines” using traditional methods. To find out more, visit www.Pelerinwines.com.
In Your Cups
Wendy Roloson ’81, a partner of Spencer Roloson winery in San Francisco, has created a new mail-order wine club, In Your Cups. Roloson said she and her partner Sam Spencer are striving to create interesting wine tastings with detailed information that will act like an interactive guided tour, comparing and contrasting wines.