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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Lydia Martinez (1926-), from the neighboring community of El Rancho, worked at Los Alamos in various jobs during and after the Manhattan Project.

Martinez started work at Los Alamos in 1943. She was a baby-sitter and housekeeper for families such as the Fermis, Tellers, Gordons, and Critchfields. She also worked as a junior technician in the X-7 group at South Mesa.

After the war, she remained at Los Alamos National Laboratory, working for Supply and Property and various other divisions, including the Theoretical Division and Weapon Systems Engineering Division. In 1983, she received the Laboratory’s Distinguished Performance Award. She retired as a property administrative specialist in 1989.

Lydia Martinez’s Timeline
1926 Born in El Rancho, New Mexico.

1943 Recruited to join the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos.

1983 Received Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Distinguished Performance Award.

1989 Retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory as a property administrative specialist.

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