November 2, 2015 - The Center Woman’s Reading Club recently met on October 15 at the Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library. Alease Copelin was the hostess and program leader. President Janene Walker presided.
Members welcomed new members Carole Rogers and Cindy Brown. Members also welcomed guests Andrea McElroy and Pam Phelps.
Alease Copelin chose The Remarkable Life of Julia Child as her famous woman. Julia Child was truly a remarkable and inspirational woman. She was born Julia Carolyn McWilliams in 1912. Julia graduated from Smith College with a history major. In 1942, she was hired as a typist for the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D.C. and later transferred to the OSS. Julia met Paul Child in Ceylon in 1944. They married two years later. Paul was attached to the U.S. Embassy in Europe and they moved to France.
It is quite ironic that up until this time in her life, Julia could not cook. In fact, she was notoriously known for being an awful cook. But after one exceptionally delicious dinner at a restaurant in Paris, Julia decided she wanted to learn to cook. In 1949, Julia enrolled in LeCordon Bleu in Paris; graduating in 1951 after taking the test twice. She meets Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholi a year later and joins them in working on a French cookbook for Americans.
Julia and Paul return to the U.S. in 1964, the same year Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol 1 is published. The French Chef airs in 1964. In 1965, Julia wins a Peabody Award for The French Chef, and in 1966, she wins an Emmy. Julia Child was the first woman elected to the Culinary Institute Hall of Fame, in 1993. In 2002, Julia donated her Cambridge kitchen to the Smithsonian. You can see her kitchen at the National Museum of American History where it continues to be one of the most popular exhibits. Julia died on August 13th, 2004, of kidney failure, just 2 days before her 92nd birthday.
Delicious refreshments, from Mastering the Art of French Cooking was served during the program since Julia always like to eat and visit. Bon Appetite!
