Inside the Archives: Homer Pickens

7/28/2021

Come Inside the Archives with us this month to check out one of our most recent donations. These images are digitized copies of some of the slides donated by Betty Pickens Cabber, the daughter of Homer and Edna Pickens. Can you help us identify any of the people (or animals) in these photos?

A crowd of children in winter coats gather closely around the back of a white pickup truck with a large wooden crate affixed in the truck bed. A person wearing a cowboy hat stands in the bed of the truck, bent at the waist seemingly showing something to the children. Two bikes are parked in the foreground.

Homer Pickens took this photo of the deer crate with kids gathered around sometime in the mid-1960s. Cabber Collection, Los Alamos Historical Society Archives.

Through these snapshots we get a brief view of what life was like for Homer Pickens in the 1960s; the images range from 1963–1968, covering his time as the conservation specialist for the Atomic Energy Commission. In these images you will see wildlife, Los Alamos parades, and more; all of which reflect different aspects of Pickens’ life on The Hill.

Homer Pickens was hired in 1961 as a conservation specialist for the Atomic Energy Commission in Los Alamos. Even though he retired from the AEC in 1968, Homer continued to work with wildlife management and conservation at the Valle Grande for the Baca Land and Cattle Company until 1980.

How can you help? Unfortunately, identification for most of the people in the slides were unavailable. We’re hoping that some of our online Los Alamos history community will be able to help us identify these people. Recognize anyone? Comment on the photo and let us know! Also, if you know who the coyote or skunk belonged to, or had a wild animal in your life; we’d love to hear your stories.

2 Comments

Jerry Peek

9/1/2021 05:09:55 am

I have around 400 digitized photos of Los Alamos in the 1960s that I wanted to donate some years ago. I think museum staff were too busy at the time. The photos are mostly of things like buildings and land -- for instance, a number of photos around the Community Center. If these could be useful, I'd be happy to be in touch about giving them.

Ronald N . Short

1/29/2023 08:38:50 pm

I was Planning Director in the mid 1960’s for Los Alamos County. I worked with Bill Coibon of Leo A..Daly company 0n the Comprehensive Plan. Then I Alison designed and laid out White Rock with three neighborhood , schools, and commercial center. scenic drive. Some of the nations top nuclear scientists like Critchfield and Malenfant. We’re on the planning Commission.all of our meetings were on the County offices were broadcast on the local radio station. I put together a zoning ordinance and meeting after meeting on radio they were over all grammar in details as nd took sentences. apart and put it back together and approved it - great memories Great memories of eating at the Lodge. Our offices were in an lab building by the pond until t he new County office building was open. My youngest son Scott was born at the hospital and my wife contacted and was diagnosed as Hodgins Disease. Los Alamos was an important part of my young life.

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