by Darrelyn V.
In 1962, we moved to a home in the south end of Jefferson County
in Littleton, Colorado, which backed-up to a lonely stretch of road that dead ended
at the Martin Marietta facility. I grew up watching hundreds of cars making
their way in every day at the crack of dawn and back out at twilight. Little
did I know then, I would be amongst those hundreds of people working there.
My father, now a retired member of Pipe Fitters Local Union 208,
supported the build of numerous structures at the main plant as well as the
Deer Creek Facility for Johns Manville, which later became a Lockheed Martin
owned and operated facility. He witnessed first-hand test fires of Titan rocket
engines, which were done onsite in those days. His picture even graces the
front page of the Sunday, September 4th 1966 edition of the Rocky Mountain
News with the caption, Labor Helps Build Mighty America, while working on the
construction of the thermal vacuum chamber.
I was hired by Martin Marietta in 1984 and have continued my
tenure with Lockheed Martin for the past 28 years. Many things have changed
throughout the years (that dead-end road for one), however what has remained
constant is the commitment to what we do and how we do it. From custodians to
contractors, new hires to seasoned employees; we all take tremendous pride in
the endlessly fantastic things we accomplish every day in support of our
nation, our world and beyond.
Happy Anniversary!
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| My father worked on the construction of Titan’s thermal vacuum chamber. |
