november july american nuclear physicist served world war war head director assistant director numerous nuclear weapons tests 1940s 1950s graves badly injured laboratory accident killed recovered early life born november youngest children son engineer member world war graves attended graduated class bachelor degree electrical engineering attended year found jobs hard come great depression received graduate fellowship university_of_chicago earned writing thesis packing fraction differences heavy elements chicago graves met married physics major known earned writing thesis energy release alpha alpha production graves remained university_of_chicago research fellow assistant professor moved unfortunately elizabeth unable secure job anti rules manhattan_project graves invited university_of_chicago graves received request work radar asked contribute project replied joined helped build nuclear graves formed suicide squad liquid control squad assigned smash imp gal glass bottles containing solution went wrong strong hoped halt runaway nuclear chain reaction control rods proved incapable halting place graves elizabeth moved work new_mexico opened condition going job found probably unnecessary skills experience quickly snapped time trinity nuclear test elizabeth seven months pregnant child graves requested assigned post far blast listened countdown explosion radio monitored radioactive fallout test took afternoon reach child healthy daughter graves badly injured laboratory accident killed training graves replace position chief bomb demonstrating dangerous dragon tail test graves scientists accident occurred graves nearest suffered estimated dose given percent chance survival caused severe radiation poisoning loss hair zero count weeks weeks recovered fully months work skiing vigorously bald spot head experience years later fathered healthy child second son named later life graves dismissive radiation risks nuclear testing serving test director shots 1950s announced risks fallout minds weak spokesman spoke local areas nevada assuring population danger activities head scientific director deputy director nuclear tests 1950s including exercises exposed military personnel radiation test native test personnel asked testify danger radiation causing cancer graves replied danger happen danger likely happen maybe likely likely likely graves pillar community active member non encouragement elizabeth played violin learned play cello petrol stamps travel new_mexico lessons played accompanying local performances gilbert sullivan chairman board local bank member local school board graves died heart attack july skiing colorado years accident age suffered accident minor heart attack december father died heart attack follow study accident victims suggested damage accident contributed heart failure interred cemetery new_mexico
Alvin C. Graves