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The Mesilla Valley Film Society (MVFS) will host two renowned local historians – Dave Kirkpatrick and Jim Eckles -- to the Fountain Theatre, Saturday, Aug. 5, to “discuss the history and archeology of the Trinity National Historic Landmark and the making of the first atomic bomb,” MVFS said in a news release.
There is no charge to attend the event, which is 2 p.m. Saturday at the Fountain, 2469 Calle de Guadalupe in Mesilla. Early arrival is advised as seating is limited.
The event is part of the MVFS’ “Atomic Fest,” a series of films and lectures exploring the legacy of the atomic bomb that continues at the Fountain Theatre through August.
Kirkpatrick is an archeologist, historian and associate director of research and public education at the Las Cruces nonprofit Human Systems Research, Inc. He has conducted extensive research on the buildings and structures at the Trinity Base Camp and the West 800 Instrumentation Shelter. He will discuss the archeology of the Trinity site, MVFS said.
Eckles is the former public affairs officer for White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and author of “Pocket Full of Rockets” and “Trinity.” His talk, “Trinity Site, Oppenheimer and the First Atomic Bomb,” is on the history of Trinity Test Site. Eckles retired from a 30-year career at WSMR in 2007 and was elected to the WSMR Hall of Fame in 2013.
A discussion and question-and-answer period will follow the presentations, MVFS said. Both authors will be available following the discussion to sign books.
July 16 was the 78th anniversary of the first test of an atomic bomb at Trinity Site. Aug. 6 is the 78th anniversary of the day the atomic bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Aug. 9 is the 78th anniversary of the day the atomic bomb nicknamed “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
MVFS is a nonprofit that has operated at the Fountain Theatre since 1989.
For more information about this presentation and film schedules, visit www.mesillavalleyfilm.org.
