Alpha Study Club met at the Peace Church for the January 23 meeting with Pam Thomas as hostess. In the absence of President Avriel Koester, Jo Anne Sash opened the meeting with a reading on January. Roll call was answered by 12 members. The Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports were read and approved. Avriel returned at this time and thanked the Social Committee for taking care of the Christmas luncheon which was held upstairs at the Festival of Trees on December 12.

There was no old business to report. Avriel and Jo Anne will be hostesses at the February 27 meeting which is to be held at the Methodist Church.

The meeting adjourned at this time.

Sue Storjohann reviewed Whilhelm’s Way by Teresa Wilhelm Waldorf. This is the untold story of the humble man whose scientific innovation helped end World War 2. In February 1942, leaders of the Manhattan Project had to prove a controlled nuclear reaction was possible, they needed pure uranium – tons of it and in less than ten months. With only a few grams in existence, there was little hope anyone could achieve such a feat. Harley Wilhelm, a chemistry professor at Iowa State College, rose to the challenge.

A sharecropper’s son and former college basketball coach, Wilhelm was an unlikely character to impact the course of world history. Nevertheless, he and his small, dedicated team of scientists and technicians surpassed anyone’s wildest expectations. Wilhelm’s Way reveals the life and times of this unsung hero who helped America Win the Race to build the atomic bomb and end World War 2.

At the conclusion of the review, Pam served a delicious dessert along with coffee and tea.