The Background
My father, Maurice Bullock, grew up in Ft. Worth, graduated from law school at UT-Austin, and answered a call for a young attorney to take over a retiring atty/judge’s practice in Ft. Stockton, West Texas. Up for the challenge, my Dad set up shop in Ft. Stockton in the late 30s. He married my Mom, and was settling into life in West Texas when WWII broke out. Like most able-bodied men, he was drafted, joined the Army, and was assigned to the JAG (Judge Advocate General) Corps due to his legal background. He had to be humbled when he learned his assignment was to join the elite team in Albuquerque vetting the scientists (Oppenheimer, et.al) who were to develop the Manhattan project…and create the first major bomb program. All top secret.
Some misc. uniform souvenirs…
My Dad was an undercover agent in the S.I.C. (Security Intelligence Corps), and was given a little house in a quiet Albuquerque neighborhood, telling his new neighbors that he was a salesman. He and my Mom set up housekeeping, and my sister Sara and I furthered the new family image. As you can imagine, I was a double-secret spy in training…
Two junior undercover spies helping my Dad with his interim image…
The Family Plot Thickens
My Dad’s youngest sister Marian graduated college as the War was escalating, and answered the call to be a civilian air traffic controller…first in San Antonio, then to Albuquerque, where she could live with my parents. This led to an amazing late-night adventure which would change her life (and many others) forever. But, let’s let her tell her story, as she recollected in a memoir-writing class she took in 1998. Amazing!
My Father, Mother and Aunt Marian (R)…this photo from the 50s…
My Aunt Marian’s Amazing Witness…In Her Words…
My now-departed Aunt Marian at age 90 in her California home…
An Extraordinary Brother/Sister Act…
I’m one of the many children of my generation who couldn’t coax much personal information from my parents. As an attorney and undercover security guy, my Dad was cautious about sharing details. I actually learned much more about his experiences of that era from my Aunt. It was such a unique set of circumstances that brought this brother and sister together in New Mexico, and a larger than life experience/experiment that left them witnesses to world history. Currently, with dangerously evolving global weaponry, we have an urgent reminder that we should develop our diplomatic abilities to preclude these devastating alternatives. Thanks to my family history, I’ll look at “Oppenheimer” with a more critical eye and heart. May the Gods of Our Understanding bless our efforts to find more humane solutions to our disagreements…
