My grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project, and because he died in July 1945, we, his wife, children, and grandchildren, never knew what what role he had on the project. At the time of his death, everything he did or had done was protected by security. There were clues here and there that what he did seemed to be very secret.
My father remembers that his father was doing two jobs on the project and that there was always a security man parked outside the house whenever he was home, something that bothered my grandmother a lot. My uncle wanted to pop into his father’s office when he was home on furlough, but didn’t know where his father’s office was in Boston. As it turns out, my uncle had to wait for his father outside the 161 Devonshire Street building. When his father emerged, my uncle was introduced to a senior Army official who was visiting him. My uncle later used this relationship to extend his furlough for his grandmother’s funeral.
All of this information made for a tantalizing mystery to be researched.
Who Was My Grandfather?
My grandfather was Donald Lewis Macdonald, Sr, frequently referred to by family and friends, as well as in these blog articles, as Mac. He was born on March 5, 1897, in Somerville, Massachusetts, and died on July 8, 1945, at the McGhee-Tyson Airport, Knoxville, Tennessee, of an apparent heart attack at the age of 48. I say ‘apparent’ because that is what it says on his death certificate. There was no autopsy or other work done to confirm the cause of death. His body was taken to a funeral home nearby and shipped home to be buried in the family plot. A representative was sent along with the body to help with the arrangements.
Growing up, his seven grandchildren learned that our grandfather worked on the Manhattan Project, the top-secret WWII project to build the atomic bomb. This information was fleshed out over time, but lacked detail, mostly because our grandfather died in July 1945, and what he did was lost with him. My father knew a few things because he worked as a teenage courier in the Manhattan Project’s Boston office. And there were bits and pieces of information that had been shared with family members or appeared in the letters. Due to the secrecy surrounding the project and everyone working on it, there wasn’t much information to share.
At the time of Mac’s death, my grandmother was also 48, my father was 16, and my uncle was 21 and serving in the Army, the 10th Mountain Division, in Italy. His death was a shock not only to his immediate family but to friends and work associates as well. My grandmother kept many of the sympathy cards and letters she received at his death, so it is easy to read how people felt at his death. I discussed these cards and letters in The Green Box.
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4 responses to “Researching Family Secrets: The Manhattan Project Connection”
This has been amazing to read. My grandfather was an engineer at Chapman Valve and one of the employees tasked with top secret MP work. My understanding is he worked on valve designs and production. But he was also gone for a very long trip. My mom recalls her dad arriving at their home in a vehicle stripped of the exterior front body (open air driving) and a large lead box welded to the back trunk area. With the uranium work that Chapman Valve also completed along with valve work (rod production is my understanding from the USGov health settlements) a large lead box makes sense. He was home just to say good-bye with an awareness of the possibility he may not return. He was gone for quite a long time as my mom would recall. As I dig through family files, I hope to find out more information. I do have my grandfather’s Manhattan Project certificate, but I do not think we still have his atomic pin. I recall him using it as a fishing weight which is a story for another day.
Thank you for reading and for your comments. That is an amazing story to tell about the lead box and not seeing your grandfather being away with the possibility of never returning. I like how he used the A-Pin as a fishing weight too. These men did a lot and, in the end, the pin wasn’t something you could wear around the house but had many other uses.
William Bill Shackleford, received a certificate from the United States of America. Of when he helped design the Trigger mechanism of the atomic bomb. I was told that me and my siblings could received Royalties from our grandfather how do i get a copy of that certificate
Hi Cathy,
Thanks for reaching out. My research was conducted by searching through records at the National Archives. I’m not sure how you would access that certificate today. Have you reached out to the Department of Energy?
Best,
Anne