Minutes of the
President
Tetrick called the meeting to order at
Members
present: Dwight Tetrick, Jack Bolen, Rod Stebbins, Marty Miller, Jim Washburn, Ed Neuguard, Fred Patton, Claude Richie,
Bob Yarnell and
Welcome
guests: Fimie Richie,
Billie Washburn, Don Middleton- an applicant, June Bolen, June Patton, Janett Tetrick, Luke Loyd- soon to be reinstated
as an SAR member, his wife Jeanne, nine cadets and their guests.
The
president introduced the members and guests.
The
SAR membership approved the minutes of the April meeting as published in the
newsletter.
The
secretary had no report.
The
treasurer reported a current balance of $2,212.53.
The
President reported that Rod Stebbins has been
accepted into the SAR. He also reported on several other potential members and
their status. The chapter was gratified by the success in increasing our
membership. [Secretary’s note: The bulk of this effort is being done by Dwight
and Janett Tetrick. I’m
sure I join the membership in expressing our appreciation.]
There
being no other business the meeting recessed for lunch.
President
Tetrick called the meeting to order. He presented the
SAR JROTC awards to the following outstanding cadets:
Thomas Phelps,
Jeremy McDonnell,
Kevin Wright,
Joshua Gunderson,
Daniel Parra,
Kenny Villarson,
Precious Neal,
Kevin Bart,
Alicia
True of
The
converging of three unique discoveries ultimately led to the idea that a
nuclear devise was possible. Compatriot Yarnell briefly discussed each. The
first is the famous equation E=mc2. This formula of Einstein
established a relationship between mass and energy and showed that one could
conceivably be converted into the other.
The
second was a violation of the old notion that the whole is equal to the sum of
its parts. This does not hold true in the nucleus of atoms where the mass of a
nucleon (a proton or neutron) varies by whether it is in a large atom or a
small one.
The
third discovery was the splitting of the atom itself. This was first done in
1938 by two German scientist who where hoping to make a new element by
bombarding uranium with neutrons. Instead they succeeded in breaking the
uranium atom into two smaller atoms.
The
combination of these three leads to the equation
Mass
of a uranium atom = the mass of the pieces after it has been split + a release
of energy
The
energy comes from the missing mass. (E.g. that the sum of all the pieces has
less mass than the original atom) That missing mass is converted into energy
via Einstein’s equation.
Compatriot
Yarnell then drew a simple diagram of a nuclear reaction showing how the
splitting of one atom would in turn release more neutrons capable of splitting
more atoms. The result is a geometric increase of the number of atoms split
leading to a significant release of energy.
In
1939 Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt explaining the possibility
of such a device. Shortly thereafter the Manhattan Project was begun. The
audience was encouraged to consider the ethical issue evident at this point.
“If we can make something, should we?” The speaker pointed out the relevance of
this question in the present and offered cloning as a prime example.
The
membership then learned of some of the significant engineering problems that
needed to be overcome in order to construct the first bombs. Obtaining enough
fissionable material was one challenge. Another was the actual construction of
the device.
The
last part of the presentation centered on the actual decision to use the bombs
as a means to end WWII. The speaker cautioned the audience to base any
judgments on the facts known to the participants at that time. He concluded
with a brief summary of the key points of the talk.
A
brief discussion followed.
Claude
Richie won the 50/50 drawing. He graciously donated
his share to the chapter. Thus the treasury was enriched by $13.00.
President
Tetrick led the recessional and Chaplain Washburn
benediction. The meeting adjourned at
Respectfully
submitted,
Kevin
Yarnell
Chapter
Secretary