Celia Szapka Klemski (May 17, 1919 – October 24, 2016) was a secretary for the State Department and the Manhattan Project. She was also featured in The Girls of Atomic City.[1]
Celia Klemski | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1919 Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | October 24, 2016 (aged 97) Greenfield Senior Living |
| Occupation | Secretary |
Early life and career
editCelia Klemski was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania on May 17, 1919.[1] Her father was a coal miner.[2]
In 1938, Klemski moved to Washington, District of Columbia to work as a secretary for the State Department.[1] In 1942, Klemski moved to New York City to work as a secretary for the Manhattan Project.[1][3] In 1943, Klemski moved to Oak Ridge, only being told it was a secret city.[2][3] Klemski worked at the administrative headquarters of the Manhattan Project, called Site X, taking encoded and unencoded orders from generals.[4][3] Klemski's first boss was Colonel Vanderbook.[5] At one point Klemski took an order from a person people in the office called "G. G.", being General Leslie Groves.[4] Despite working closely with high-ranking people, Klemski didn't know what Site X was doing, only that it helped with the war effort.[4][2] Two of her brothers were in the military and she wanted to "do her part to bring them home."[4]
She died on October 24, 2016.[citation needed]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Celia Szapka Klemski - Nuclear Museum". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Adventurous, Patriotic 'Girls of Atomic City' Traveled South for Nuclear Jobs". PBS News. March 22, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Secretly Working To Win The War In 'Atomic City'". NPR. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Kiernan, Denise (July 17, 2023). "The Young Women Who Unknowingly Helped Create the Atomic Bomb". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Secretly Working To Win The War In 'Atomic City'". NCPR. February 25, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.