On the fourth floor of Roger Williams Hall, Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read has a huge bottle of Perrier-Jou毛t champagne sitting on a shelf. But he won鈥檛 ever drink from the bottle. For one thing, it鈥檚 empty and always has been.
Read purchased the display bottle in 2005 after the closure of one of his favorite haunts, Austin鈥檚 Fine Wine and Foods on Main Street in Auburn. Located in a former bank, Austin鈥檚 offered sandwiches, cheeses, and meats, along with a wide selection of wines. Customers ate in cozy wood-paneled rooms; in the bank vault, owner Austin 鈥淎udie鈥� Conrad stored champagne and more-expensive wines.
As proprietor, Conrad was 鈥渟uper friendly and a great local citizen,鈥� says Read. So when Conrad sold his store memorabilia, Read grabbed the large bottle (a bottle size known as a 鈥渕ethuselah鈥�) and a smaller bottle. 鈥淪omething I could take away to remember him by,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 sentimental attachment.鈥�
Oversized champagne bottles sit amidst family photographs and other memorabilia on a shelf in Kirk Read’s office.
Not that the bottles don鈥檛 serve a practical purpose. Combining Read鈥檚 interests in language, culture, and theater, his course in oral French asks students to act out the adventures of a fictional North African heroine. It鈥檚 a long-running set of skits developed with colleagues and students during Read鈥檚 27-year career at 乐播传媒.
The two bottles are humorous props for Read鈥檚 students,聽especially since聽several recurring characters have been known to display poor choices in alcohol consumption 鈥� they鈥檙e聽鈥渁lcohol-dependent,鈥� says Read. 鈥淪o it can happen that we pull out the Audie champagne bottle just for a little local color.鈥�
