A newsletter for alumni, students, parents and friends.

Barrington & Cloyne Reunion

 By Michael C. Berch

 Barrington, 1974-78, Rochdale 1978-81

It seemed familiar, but also oddly strange. First of all, we had to assemble on Haste Street, not Dwight Way, and the sign we stood under read “Evans Manor”, and not “Barrington Hall”. But as soon as USCA Alumni Association President Tom Sutak (Barrington, 1961-65) unlocked the doors and let us in, the sights of our old home came flooding back.

On September 16, a lovely autumn day in Berkeley, as the Cal Bears were putting the finishing touches on a 42-16 victory over Portland State, over 80 former residents of Barrington Hall and Cloyne Court, along with some of their partners and children—and “crasher emeritus” Pink Cloud—met for a reunion at the Town and Gown Club, preceded by a tour of the former Barrington Hall.

Barrington closed as a co-op house in 1996, but the property is still owned by the USCA and is leased to a tenant who operates it as a rooming house. There have been some changes; all but one of the famous murals are gone, and the house now sports a sedate cream and brown interior. But even though the suites have been reconfigured, it’s still the same old place, and it brought back a lot of memories.

“Where’s the A.K.?” asked one member from the 1970s. (“What’s the A.K.?”, an older member asked her husband.) The group managed to find the former Alternate Kitchen, the origin of countless vegetarian meals, which is now a laundry room; the adjacent dining area is now a break room with a microwave. But old Barringtonians smiled at the sole remaining mural from the co-op days: The Last Supper, with the attendees as vegetables, painted in 1976.

We finished with a trip to the roof, which still has a glorious view of San Francisco and the Bay. One member from the 1980s pointed out the most desirable spots for nude sunbathing, and a few others were pleased to see that the solar panels still appeared to be in good condition.

Full of nostalgia, the group headed to the Town and Gown Club a block away, to join those who weren’t able to make the tour. The club was filled with co-op memorabilia, and the evening started off with wine, cheese, hors d’oeuvres, and the sight of many old friends greeting each other—“Wine Dinner!” exclaimed Jim Stein (Barrington 1976-79). For many, myself included, this was much more meaningful than a class reunion since the co-op was so much more of a family-like situation. While some of us had kept in touch over the years, or met again at the USCA 60th and 70tAh reunions, there were still plenty of surprises.

While we waited for dinner (a gourmet buffet cooked by Central Kitchen Food Service Coordinator Mike Mottmann and several co-op volunteers), some old co-opers shared stories of bygone years. The earliest member present was Norman Gershanov, who lived at Barrington in 1937, and told of Barrington residents heading up to Memorial Stadium, en masse, for Cal Football games. The Cloyne contingent was also vocal, with Edward Thelen (Cloyne, 1981-85) telling some old tales. Some 1980s alumni recalled Barrington’s place in the local music scene, and some tense moments with the neighbors.

Reunions are not just a nice way to spend an evening out; they’re a sort of time machine that lets you find out the results of your intuition about human nature. When we lived at the co-op, for most of us it was the first time we’d lived away from home. We couldn’t help but wonder how our friends would turn out—and how we would. Seeing familiar faces after so many years was a unique and rewarding experience.