It was Jay Wechsler's love of skiing that led him to volunteer at the ski hill after his 1944 arrival in Los Alamos. "Getting the ski hill started was a huge volunteer activity for many people," said Jay, who particularly loves teaching youngsters as a ski instructor at Pajarito Mountain.

Jay married Carol in Honolulu "when Hawaii was still a territory" and they raised Deborah, Perry and Becky in Los Alamos.

Jay's community service spans the town's history. President of the Los Alamos Medical Center Board, he has also been a Kiwanis member for forty three years. Jay was instrumental in establishing the Jewish Center and helped found the first Building and Loan Association as well as Los Alamos National Bank. He is known throughout northern New Mexico for his dedicated efforts on behalf of economic development.

Additional biographical material can be found in the Los Alamos Monitor of April 22, 2001.

Written by Karen Nilsson Brandt, copyright ©