Mary and her late husband, Bob Penland, came to Los Alamos in 1951. "To leave the 'dust bowl' of Texas for the beauty and clean air of Los Alamos fulfilled a lifelong dream," Mary said.

Mary taught in the Los Alamos Schools for 32 years, and has spent decades preserving the history of the Los Alamos Schools. Her dream is to establish a Los Alamos Schools History Museum. "Our four children went to school here and had an excellent education," she said.

In retirement, Mary became of a founding member of the Los Alamos Retired Seniors Organization. She served as LARSO's first secretary and provided seed money for start-up help for the organization. She also donated money for a permanent sign for the Betty Ehart Senior Center, and has served as historian of the American Association of Retired Persons.

"Everything you put into the life of others comes back into your own," Mary said.

Additional biographical material can be found in the Los Alamos Monitor of September 15, 2002.

Written by Karen Nilsson Brandt, copyright ©