Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
COMMUNITY News:
Living Treasures of Los Alamos celebrates the important volunteer roles that so many of our senior citizens play in our community. Many seniors serve as role models and mentors, providing inspiration with their involvement, commitment, heart and wisdom. The deadline for 2025 Los Alamos Living Treasures is May 31.
2024 Living Treasure Bill Wadt said, “If you want to make a difference, you need to get involved. Working in the community helps to keep you healthy especially as you get older. Social interactions are critical to exercising your mind and emotions.”
The LTLA Board believes this is a tradition worth keeping alive. Los Alamos has a healthy population of volunteers. Each year there are more worthy nonprofits that rely on volunteers, and so many people who deserve acknowledgement!
Since 1999, Los Alamos Living Treasures has held 34 ceremonies to honor 108 Los Alamos individuals for their outstanding volunteer efforts. For the first eight years, celebrations were held twice a year, with two to four individuals honored each time. In 2007, award selection transitioned to once a year, with three selected. Learn about these individuals at https://www.livingtreasureslosalamos.net/.
These awards are for the community by the community. Nominees may have had an extraordinary career that was important to Los Alamos, but it is their volunteer efforts outside of their career that make them a good Living Treasure candidate. How has their volunteerism gone above and beyond?
If you have someone in mind, please send a letter to livingtreasuresla@gmail.com. Include the following information if possible:
- When did the nominee come to Los Alamos;
- How long has the nominee been involved in community activities;
- In which areas has the nominee contributed to Los Alamos;
- How has Los Alamos benefited from the nominee’s activities;
Any additional information is welcome.
Gather additional support from other people who know this person, who volunteer with them, and ask them to send letters to livingtreasuresla@gmail.com by May 31. The following people have been named Living Treasures of Los Alamos:
Spring 1999: Winifred Amsden*, Alice* and Foster* Evans, Betty Lilienthal
Fall 1999: Mary Jeanne Nilsso*, Bernard Ryan*Virginia Stovall*Lou Pierotti*
Spring 2000: Louie Cernicek*, Beverly Keenan*, Sen. Stephen Stoddard*
Fall 2000: Nina Marsh*, John Mench*, Mary Pettitt Venable
Spring 2001: Margaret Browne*, Jeanne Stein*, Jacob Wechsler*
Fall 2001: Edwin Bemis*, Glenn Rigg*, Guadalupe Sena*
Spring 2002: Donald MacMillan*, Mary Penland*, Louis G. Rojas*
Fall 2002: Marge Gillespie*, Edward R. Grilly*, Edward Frederic Hammel*
Spring 2003: Marjorie Chambers*, Martin Gursky*, Dorothy Hoard*
Fall 2003: Elizabeth Ann Aiello*, George Arthur Cowan*, Joseph James Devaney*
Spring 2004: Jerry Bower*, Carl Buckland*, Aaron Goldman*, Jean Nereson*
Fall 2004: John Daniel Elliott*, Mary Zemach*
Spring 2005: Jose Benjamin Lujan*, Patricia Dodd Winter Mendius*
Fall 2005: David Browning Thomson*, Bert and Ramona “Mona”* Dennis, William A. “Bill” and Maureen* Hudson
Spring 2006: Margaret Ann “Marge” Cole Agnew, Milton “Glenn” Lockhart*, Sidney Singer*
Fall 2006: John Francis Buchen*, Thelma Moore Hahn, James Drew “Jim” Little
2007: Frances Nelson Rogers*, Marguerite Elizabeth Schreiber*, Rebecca “Becky” Shankland
2008: Jack Clifford, John C. Hopkins, Ralph E. Partridge*
2009: Laurence Martin Holland*, Dale Holm*, Lawry Webb* and Alice Robles* Mann
2010: Mary Brooks*, William E. Deal, Jr.*, Roy N. Hopwood*
2011: William (Bill) H. Chambers*, Morris (Morrie) B. Pongratz, Stephanie Sydoriak*
Spring 2012: Nancy and John Bartlit, Edward N. Macmann*, Rosemary O’Connor*
Fall 2012: Jeanne Butler*, Douglas* and Ruth Helmick Lier, L. Dick Tatro
2013: Lee A. Builta*, Rosmarie Frederickson, Craig Martin
2014: Teralene Foxx, Gene F. Mortensen*, John N Stewart*
2015: Loring Cox*, Robert Emigh*, Joyce Eyster*
2016: Nona Bowman*, Charles “Chuck” Tallman, Selvi Viswanathan
2017: Joann Smith Brown, J. Arthur Freed*, Charles (Chick) Keller
2018: George Best*, Cheryl Pongratz, Ruth Williamson
2019: Robert “Bob” Benjamin, Joel Dahlby, Denny Erickson
2020: Linda Foard Burns*, Don Casperson, Lois Eddleman*
2022: KokHeung McNaughton, Sharon Snyder, Patrick D. Soran
2023: Barbara Calef, Don Cobb, Joyce W. Nickols
2024: Rick L. Reiss, Natali Steinberg, Bill Wadt
*Asterix denotes that the Treasure has passed away.
