Nellie V. Widmayer was born Nellie V. Sanderson, November 23, 1919 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and came to Washington, DC in September 1939. She has lived in Silver Spring since January of 1946. She was the secretary to General Groves during the Manhattan Project.
She worked for the War Department Corps of Engineers mail room from 1939 until 1941, when she transferred to the Manhattan District to work for General Leslie R. Groves. She coordinated with some of the scientific luminaries of the day, including Einstein, Fermi, Oppenheimer, and Smythe. She remained in that position until 1946 when her husband, Edward J. Widmayer, came home after serving in the Pacific with the US Navy 123rd Division Seabees. She received the “Civilian Meritorious Award” for her work on the Manhattan Project.
Nellie V. Widmayer died September 15, 2012.