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Legacies of innovation


Families with ties to Sandia California share their stories

TAKING A LOAD OFF — Members of the Z Division assembly group in the Pacific for Operation Crossroads in 1946. Seated in front, from left, Phil Dailey, Kenneth O. Roebuck, Arthur Machen, Ira “Tiny” Hamilton and Bryan Arthur. Back row, from left, Roger S. Warner, Major Robert L. Roark, Colonel Jack Sutherland, Glenn Fowler, Alvin Van Vessem, William O. McCord and Gene Eyster. (Photo from the Los Alamos National Laboratory archives)
TAKING A LOAD OFF — Members of the Z Division assembly group in the Pacific for Operation Crossroads in 1946. Seated in front, from left, Phil Dailey, Kenneth O. Roebuck, Arthur Machen, Ira “Tiny” Hamilton and Bryan Arthur. Back row, from left, Roger S. Warner, Major Robert L. Roark, Colonel Jack Sutherland, Glenn Fowler, Alvin Van Vessem, William O. McCord and Gene Eyster. (Photo from the Los Alamos National Laboratory archives)
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While many are familiar with Sandia’s impact on national security and advancements in scientific research, fewer are aware of its transformative impact on families who have worked at the Labs. Lab News wraps up a series of stories from Sandians whose families have been part of the Labs for generations.

The Saucier Family: From Z Division to California

Ira Hamilton was in the U.S. Army when he was brought into the Special Engineering Detachment in the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He was a welder, originally from a farm in Pennsylvania, and moved to pursue technical work with Z Division in Albuquerque once the Manhattan Project concluded.

“He had quite a story of life,” said his grandson, David Saucier, who now works at Sandia California and recalls stories from his grandfather. “He said the work was so impactful and meaningful for him. He found a lot of his identity in doing that national service.”

David’s mother, Geraldine Saucier, grew up watching her father head off to work, sometimes at 3 or 4 a.m., and head out into the desert when they lived in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both she and David’s father, Edward Saucier, also worked at Sandia in Albuquerque. Geraldine Saucier spent time at Sandia as an auditor in the 1980s. David recalls driving onto Kirtland Air Force Base with her at the time and riding around on a cart with his mom. Edward Saucier spent 41 years at Sandia, starting in human resources and later moving into information technology, retiring as a senior manager.

“I got inoculated at an early age,” said David, who went with his family to many Kids Days at the Labs. “I remember those fondly. My dad had a colleague who would show the supercomputers, and I thought that was so cool. I wanted to play with it and see how it worked.”

In 2011, David became a year-round intern at Sandia New Mexico while studying nuclear engineering. He later left to focus on grad school and didn’t expect his career to bring him back to Sandia — this time in Livermore, California. David returned as a Sandian almost three years ago and has settled in well with his group and new surroundings.

“I feel part of a greater purpose, tied to the mission,” said David, who now helps recruit new Sandians. “It was serendipity.”

David’s sister, Christine Clark, also works at Sandia in New Mexico. She was unable to join for Family Day in California, though the rest of the family — his wife, Elizabeth; his parents; and two other siblings — toured the site for the first time.

“I’m the first one out here in California, and it’s been exciting to show them some of the differences,” David said. “I grew up hearing these stories from my grandfather about his excitement and his ardor for doing this work, and now I’m very fortunate to feel that for myself.”

The Gutierrez Family: It’s all in the family

FAMILY TIES — The Gutierrez family. From left, Letty Gutierrez Quihuis; Gabe Gutierrez; their mother, Julia Gutierrez; their father, Gabe Gutierrez, who retired from Sandia after 35 years; Rick Gutierrez, a former Sandia security officer; and Darrel Gutierrez, a former Sandia intern. (Photo courtesy of Gabe Gutierrez)
FAMILY TIES — The Gutierrez family. From left, Letty Gutierrez Quihuis; Gabe Gutierrez; their mother, Julia Gutierrez; their father, Gabe Gutierrez, who retired from Sandia after 35 years; Rick Gutierrez, a former Sandia security officer; and Darrel Gutierrez, a former Sandia intern. (Photo courtesy of Gabe Gutierrez)

When your father, sister, two brothers, nephew and niece have all worked for Sandia at some point, it’s hard not to think of it as a family business. This is the case for Gabe Gutierrez, whose father worked for Sandia California for 35 years — though they only overlapped for a few of those years.

“My dad would eat lunch in his office, and I would join him when possible,” said Gabe about his father, also named Gabe Gutierrez. “I tried to go see him when I could, so it was nice.”

For the Gutierrez family, it’s always been about being able to provide for one another, and Gabe said Sandia made that possible through the years. Gabe’s father was a communications manager who helped Sandia implement a major upgrade to the telephone system while raising four children in a single-income household.

“It wasn’t easy for him. But he did it, and we could never tell,” Gabe said. “We always had a great life. When I started here, it was the same thing — my wife and I had to make ends meet, so everything was going toward taking care of the family.”

Gabe was a custodian at Sandia from 1985 to 1989 while attending college simultaneously, then left to attend architecture school. His studies took him to Arizona and eventually back to California to work with an engineering company. In 1992, Gabe returned to Sandia as a design-drafter contractor in Facilities for two years. He was hired permanently in 1994.

“It’s been a great place,” Gabe said. “It’s put a roof over my family’s heads, put food on our table and helped put my son through college.”

Gabe’s sister, Letty Gutierrez Quihuis, joined Sandia in 2015 and still works at the Livermore site. In addition, their brothers have previously worked at Sandia as a security officer and as an intern. Gabe’s niece and nephew have even served as interns.

With his work on Sandia’s new phone system at the time, Gabe’s father traveled to Washington, D.C., and was able to bring some family along.

“I’m proud of what my father did,” Gabe said. “I was able to go to D.C. with him when I was younger and didn’t even think about why we were going. Apparently, he was presenting about the telephone system they were putting in, so it’s inspiring to know he was part of that.”

Both father and son have been part of the Hispanic Leadership Committee. Gabe Gutierrez Sr. was one of the original members, and Gabe Jr. is a former co-chair. As part of working with the committee, they both helped with community outreach by distributing food or speaking to at-risk youth about education.

Gabe said he enjoys connecting with new Sandians and seeing the future generations join the Labs.

“The young people are the future,” Gabe said. “They’re bringing in new ideas and making changes, and I want to help by teaching and learning wherever I can.”

Seeing Sandia shine through the years

TEAM RECOGNITION — Donna Blevins, second from right, was part of a team to earn an Employee Recognition Award in 2012 for their work on the Sandia Women’s Connection Math & Science Awards program.
TEAM RECOGNITION — Donna Blevins, second from right, was part of a team to earn an Employee Recognition Award in 2012 for their work on the Sandia Women’s Connection Math & Science Awards program.

My Sandia story began at another DOE national lab before I was even born.

My parents, Bill and Donna Blevins, met while working at the now-closed Mound Laboratory in southwestern Ohio.

And it was the national labs that brought us to California when my dad, who was a tritium technician, was tasked with a yearlong assignment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1992 and 1993. My mom and I came along, and she found a position at LLNL as an administrative assistant.

I was introduced to LLNL as a child, during a time when families were allowed to go to the cafeteria or even go swimming in the lab’s pool.

When my dad’s assignment ended, we moved back to Ohio. However, my mom liked our experience living in California and looked for opportunities to come back to Livermore.

She landed a phone interview with Sandia and was offered a contractor position as an office management assistant, and we moved back to Livermore in 1995. My dad went back and forth, helping close down Mound Lab and eventually coming on full-time with LLNL. My mom became a regular Sandian a couple of years later.

Sneak peeks at Sandia

I remember visiting Sandia in my youth for Kids Day and experiencing a roller coaster simulation in a high-tech videoconferencing room.

As a college student studying journalism, I spent a year interning at Sandia in both the Communications and Health Services departments. It was my first experience working in an office setting, and it helped me gain real-world experience. I even got to write an article or two for the internal newsletter, The Communicator, at the California site.

FAMILY PORTRAIT — Donna and Lea Blevins at the Employee Recognition Awards ceremony in 2012 in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.
FAMILY PORTRAIT — Donna and Lea Blevins at the Employee Recognition Awards ceremony in 2012 in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.

My mom was involved with the Sandia Women’s Connection employee resource group during much of her time at Sandia, including a term as co-chair.

After journalism school, I was a newspaper reporter — but even then, I remained connected to the work she was doing at Sandia. I wrote an article on the group’s annual Math & Science Awards program that recognizes high school girls from the area.

In 2012, Sandia Women’s Connection received a team Employee Recognition Award, and I got to join my mom as her guest at the ceremony in New Mexico as she accepted the award on behalf of the group.

When my mom retired in May 2015, we figured our family’s journey with the national labs was complete. I spent years working in local government public affairs, but the Blevins family found a path back in June 2023 when I came on board as a corporate communications specialist for Sandia’s Integrated Security Solutions division and the California site.

It’s been an engaging experience being a full-time Sandian and reflecting on my parents’ history with the labs. Many of our longtime family friends have been people my parents worked with through the years, enriching both our professional and our personal lives.

—Lea Blevins

Recent articles by Lea Blevins