Manhattan Project veteran Kenneth M. Pumphrey passed away on July 20, 2015 at the age of 87. He had joined the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in 1946. He worked as a security guard until 1948, guarding various site facilities and checking ID badges, which were required to enter certain restricted areas and buildings. After the war, Pumphrey worked as a steam fitter for Honeywell.
Pumphrey remembered his decision to volunteer to go to an unknown location: “I talked it over with a couple of fellows. I said, “’Well curiosity has got the best of me. I’m going to take a chance.’ I’m young, you know, eighteen years old. I decided I was going to sign that paper and give it a try.”
He saved many photographs of his time in Los Alamos, as well as cartoon depicting life there. To view his photos and cartoons, please visit his profile.