During WWII, Atilio “Tee” Topazio was a member of the Special Engineer Detachment (SED) assigned to the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Oak Ridge, TN. He was a part of the team that contributed to making the atomic bomb. Before working at Oak Ridge, Topazio received multiple Master's Degrees from the University of Rhode Island. In 1945, while working at Oak Ridge, he was voted as the #1 Oak Ridge athlete.
Later Life
After the war, Topazio was a high school teacher of physics, chemistry, and math. He also taught at Louisiana State University and worked with the Vision Quest Program. Topazio was also actively involved with sports throughout his life, as a player, coach, and officiator.