J. Arthur Freed
By TODD NICHOLS
Los Alamos Historical Society
It is with great sadness that we tell you of the death of a Los Alamos Historical Society (and community) treasure, Art Freed. Not many people get LAHS’ History Medal twice, but Art did, and for good reason.
Art’s amazing skills served not only LAHS but also the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC), and Los Alamos National Lab in so many capacities. In 2016, he received the medal for “years of service and work with the Archive and Collections” committee, through which he is credited for preserving artifacts, improving archival standards, and working for increased collections security. He was chosen for the medal again in 2020 for “multiple contributions to the Historical Society.”
What that meant in real life was that Art, according to an article by LAHS’ Executive Editor and Publication Director Sharon Snyder in 2020, “served several terms on the society’s Board of Directors, and former board president Ron Wilkins acknowledges him as ‘a long-time friend of the society, one who brought his professional expertise to the operations of our Archive’.”
In the same article, written upon his second medal award, that expertise was detailed. “Archivist Rebecca Collinsworth expressed her admiration by remembering Freed’s ‘careful scholarship, broad knowledge of many subjects, thoughtfulness of other people, steadfast professionalism, and personal kindness.”
The JROMC agreed when in 2021 they honored Art. Rebecca Shankland, then committee vice chair, wrote about the ceremony held on the lawn of Fuller Lodge. “The Committee bestowed on him the title of Emeritus member and presented him with a plaque commemorating his 49 years on the Committee as the chair, the vice-chair, the secretary, and the archivist.”
Clearly, our community has suffered a tremendous loss, but we can certainly celebrate his myriad contributions to preserving the unique history of Los Alamos. LAHS sends its deepest sympathy to Art’s family, in particular his nephew, Steve Freed.
J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee members and friends honoring J. Arthur Freed for his decades of dedicated service and leadership during a ceremony in March 2021 on the lawn at Fuller Lodge. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com