January 2012
Legislative Update
America's Summit on National Parls
Remembering General Richard H. Groves
"Like" AHF on Facebook!
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Greetings!

 

 

The Atomic Heritage Foundation is celebrating our tenth anniversary in February! Thanks to your support and involvement over the past decade, we have been able to grow and bloom.  

 

 

Please consider making a special TENTH ANNIVERSARY DONATION to help us make a Manhattan Project National Park a reality!

 

 

 Our beautifully blooming amaryllis makes AHF's office feel quite festive on our 10th anniversary!

 

 

Legislative Update:

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

 

                 

                   Sen. Jeff Bingaman       Rep. Doc Hastings

 

Representatives of the Atomic Heritage Foundation, the Energy Communities Alliance, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, among others, recently met with staff members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee (January 11, 2012) and House Natural Resources committee (January 26, 2012). The committee staff members talked about what needs to happen for Congress to pass legislation establishing the Manhattan Project Park at Los Alamos, NM, Oak Ridge, TN, and Hanford, WA.  The House committee requested the National Park Service's drafting service to put together a bill for their consideration.  According to NPS staff, the draft bill is now under review and should be provided to the House committee staff shortly.  

 

Both Committee chairmen, Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Representative Doc Hastings of Washington, are committed to getting a bill passed this Congress.  The House and Senate staff would like to have legislation that is closely aligned, while recognizing that each chamber must follow its unique rules and protocols.  AHF has developed draft legislation with input from all three sites and will continue to work hard to see a bill enacted this year. We are hopeful that the Manhattan Project Park will soon be established.

 America's Summit on National Parks

 

 

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service. Today, the National Park Service is about to celebrate its centennial. In light of this anniversary, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the National Park Foundation, and the National Park Hospitality Association convened "America's Summit on National Parks" last week. 

 

Delegates from around the country gathered in Washington, DC to build a shared vision for the next 100 years of the National Park Service. Responding to a "Call to Action," participants explored the National Park Service's past and future roles.   

 

National Park Service director Jon Jarvis, associate director for Cultural Resources Stephanie Toothman, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation executive director John Fowler, and many others who have been actively involved in fostering a Manhattan Project National Historical Park spoke at the conference. 

 

Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee talked about the importance of the parks as a repository of American history and their role in advancing education. The Senator is committed to creating a Manhattan Project National Historical Park to preserve the significant history and historic properties for generations to come.

Remembering General Richard H. Groves

 

We are sad to report that General Richard Groves died at age 88 on December 26, 2011. Here you can read his obituary
and on AHF's website you can find excerpts from the interview that we recorded on December 5, 2007. As those familiar with the Manhattan Project can imagine, General Leslie Groves held his son Richard to the very highest standards of achievement. Fortunately, General Richard Groves not only met but also surpassed them.
 

General Leslie Groves

 

On December 5, 2007, the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the Department of State dedicated the newly rediscovered offices of General Leslie R. Groves and his inner circle.  For the first time, the public saw the offices in the New War Building located at 21st and Virginia Avenue, NW in Washington, DC, where Groves and his staff directed the top-secret effort to make an atomic bomb. 

 

General Leslie Groves' two children took part in the proceedings. General Richard H. Groves received a plaque in honor of his father and Gwen Groves Robinson shared her memories of playing tennis with her father and doing her homework on a couch in his office after school.

 

General Richard H. Groves unveiling a plaque honoring his father with Major General Merdith W. B. Temple of the Army Corps of Engineers  

 "Like" AHF on Facebook!  

 

 

 

We are pleased to announce that the Atomic Heritage Foundation now has a Facebook page! We will be posting photographs of the Manhattan Project sites and scientists, and will keep our followers up-to-date with announcements. We hope to that you will visit our page and "like" us! The more people who know about and support our goal of preserving and interpreting the Manhattan Project sites, the easier our task becomes.

This is an exciting time for those who care about preserving the Manhattan Project. But to realize the full potential of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park, we need as strong a partnership as there was for the original Manhattan Project. Your contributions help us continue to make the case for preserving the Manhattan Project's historic sites and creating a national historical park. Thank you very much for your support!

 


Sincerely,
sig
President

Atomic Heritage Foundation