Carol Kemp

Carol J. Kemp, age 92, died on Monday, September 24.  She and identical twin sister Carolyn were born in December 1926, Carol being the younger of the two.  She grew up in upper New York State.  Carol graduated high school at age 17, and New York State Teachers College at age 20.   She then headed west to the secret city of Los Alamos, NM.  Carol's first hint of what she was getting into was being met at the train station in Lamy by an Army private in an open Jeep, and driving up to the east gate entrance along a dirt road.

Carol taught at Los Alamos High School for several years.  Carol's twin also journeyed out to Los Alamos as a teacher.  Most summers found Carol working on a graduate degree in Political Science at the University of Michigan and the University of New Mexico.

Carol married a young engineer, Ed Kemp, in 1951, and quit teaching to become a mother.  To the union were born Robert (Bob), Michael, and Elizabeth (Liz).  When Bob was born with Down’s Syndrome, Carol and Ed joined with other parents to form the Los Alamos Association of Retarded Children.  The group successfully petitioned the Los Alamos School Board to initiate the first special education class in Los Alamos schools.  Carol also became involved at the state level with efforts to ensure all of New Mexico's special education students received a public-school education.  One of Carol's proudest moments was seeing Bob graduate high school in 1973, the first special ed. student to do so in Los Alamos.

Carol, Ed and their children traveled extensively in a series of motor homes, seeing the southwest in great detail.   Once Michael and Liz left home, the three of them continued their travels.  After Bob's death in 1998, Carol and Ed began twice-a-year travels throughout much of Europe.  Their most memorable trip was 10 days spent showing Liz, husband George and grandson Brian the delights of London.

Carol is survived by son Michael (Cookie), daughter Elizabeth Carter (George), grandson Brian Carter, numerous nephews and one niece.

Carol was a member of Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church for many years, and faithfully attended their weekly services at Aspen Ridge Lodge after moving there.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 29th at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church in Los Alamos. The family of Carol J. Kemp has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home of the Espanola Valley.