When Los Alamos was a Ranch School

Stated first edition, 1974. A historical profile of the Los Alamos Ranch School co-authored by notable New Mexico poet Peggy Pond Church & her husband Fermor S. Church. The school was an elite boys' preparatory academy founded by Peggy Pond Church's father, Ashley Pond, in 1917, until its sudden 1943 closure to make way for the Manhattan Project. In December 1942, Secretary of War Henry Stimson addressed a letter to the Ranch School's director A.J. Connell stating: "You are advised that it has been determined necessary to the interests of the United States in the prosecution of the War that the property of Los Alamos Ranch School be acquired for military purposes" (see photo). This staple-bound oblong booklet is tightly bound with bright wraps & a light crease on the front cover. Prior owner's name and the shadow image of a removed sticker are present on the title page spread (see photo), alongside light ink markings on seven pages (two pages feature a single bracket, while five pages have light underlining) out of 64. The softcover is otherwise excellent with clean, bright pages, lavishly illustrated throughout with black-and-white images, offering a fascinating history by family members who lived through the transition from prestigious school to secret laboratory. See photos, ships same day or next day.…