When she arrived in Los Alamos in 1951 with her late husband, Margaret said, "The paint was barely dry on the walls" of the newly constructed Gold Street Apartments. Margaret and Phil raised two daughters, Kathy and Pam, in Los Alamos.

In 1962 the Los Alamos Association for Mental Health formed. "Out of that, the Family Council got started," said Margaret. Under her direction, the Big Brother and Sister programs came to Los Alamos. A crisis hotline was begun along with programs to serve senior citizens. Margaret retired from the Family Council in 1990, leaving a staff of 20.

She helped start AAUW Preschool and now works for RSVP. In 1990 she was named to the NM Women's Hall of Fame and also received the Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women.

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

Written by Karen Nilsson Brandt, copyright ©