George Cowan came to New Mexico during World War II and worked with the Manhattan Project as a chemist to build the first atomic bomb. His scientific work also included the testing of the first hydrogen bomb. Cowan became the treasurer of the Santa Fe Opera during tis inception. In 1963, he founded the Los Alamos National bank and for three decades remained the bank’s chairman.
The Santa Fe Institute
In 1984, Cowan was one of the founders of the Santa Fe Institute. The scientific research center, comprised of individuals from both the public and private sector, utilize a cross section of disciplines from physics to the humanities to find solutions to an array of subjects like evolution and urban sustainability.
Robert H. Martin
At the end of World War II in 1946, the army transferred Robert H. Martin to work as the photographer for Los Alamos National Laboratory. For the next 33 years he documented all aspects of work done at the lab. When he wasn’t working on government-classified assignments, he captured the essence of Santa Fe on film. Today, 60 years of Martin’s photography can be found in museums throughout the state that range from community events, to photographs of leading writers, artists and other members of Santa Fe’s intelligentsia. Martin was never without a camera. When he died in 2005 he was buried with his camera.