Sandra Quintana, left, is surrounded by friends and colleagues from Los Alamos County this morning as she rededicates the elk sculpture at the entrance to Los Alamos in the memory of her husband Julian Quintana. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Longtime Los Alamos Police Department Records Specialist Sandra J. Quintana lost her husband Julian eight years ago.

Julian Quintana was killed by a drunk driver Feb. 9, 2004, on his way to work at the County’s Abiqui plant. He had worked for Los Alamos County for 27 years.

County employees Darryl Tabor and Darryl Hastings embrace Sandra Quintana at this morning’s ceremony honoring her husband’s memory. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Sandra remembered her husband during a special ceremony this morning at the site of the elk sculpture created in his honor near the entrance to town.

“And happy birthday to me …  this is how I want to spend my birthday … rededicating the elk to Julian,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Charlie Brown, this project would never have been done. He wanted to preserve a piece of Los Alamos history before he retired from the County and asked me to draw an elk on this piece of metal in memory of Julian.”

Sandra told her friends and colleagues gathered at this morning’s ceremony that she and Brown worked together for three months – at lunch time and after hours – to complete the sculpture. It was placed near the County’s anniversary water tank.

“It has been eight years since Julian passed, but a lot of people still remember him,” Sandra said. “I want to thank all the guys who helped with the elk including Charlie Brown, Darryl Tabor and Darryl Hastings and also Tim and Victor for doing the landscape surrounding the elk. They have done such a good job, and set it in the perfect place to greet people when they come into Los Alamos. This will always be here long after we are gone and what a great way to remember a great man.“

Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com