Fwd: Michael’s Retirement: A 33 1/3 Year Journey!

Pete

Begin forwarded message:

From: Elizabeth Harcombe <elizabeth.harcombe@gmail.com>
Date: January 26, 2025 at 10:49:57 PM EST
To: Elizabeth Harcombe <elizabeth.harcombe@gmail.com>, "Michael J. Carter" <mcarter@pobox.com>
Subject: Michael's Retirement: A 33 1/3 Year Journey!



Dear Family & Friends,

I am thrilled to share some exciting news: Michael is hanging up his lab coat (or perhaps his keyboard?) after an impressive 33 1/3 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory! His official retirement date is this Friday, January 31st, marking the end of a career that began back in 1991 when, at the age of 25, he loaded up his trusty Toyota Corona and drove from South Carolina to New Mexico. Once there, he started a graduate research assistantship at the Lab as part of his work towards a PhD in physics at Clemson University. Michael was fortunate to join a team working on an experimental satellite project at LANL that would open the door to many future opportunities.

In those early years he had some memorable firsts:

• Tasting Hatch chile at La Casa Sena (back when the waitstaff sang show tunes!),

• Skiing (let's just say, attempting to ski) at Pajarito Mountain,

• Brewing his first batch of beer,

• Seeing Guy Clark perform live at Kachina Lodge in Taos,

• Coaching sons Will and Rob in Little League, and

• Witnessing a rocket launch up close at Cape Canaveral.

As he worked toward his doctorate, Michael found himself bitten by the computer bug. Upon earning his degree, he shifted from physics to a postdoc position developing software for space applications. This launched (pun intended) his decades-long journey as a "recovering physicist" at LANL. He's written data analysis and archival software, managed a large distributed computing center for the Lab's space science division, developed embedded software for satellite payloads, and led numerous technical project management efforts for space-based payloads and satellite ground systems.

Not many people can say they've written some code that is currently running on a computer 22,000 miles overhead!

I'm incredibly proud of everything Michael has accomplished, and excited for this next chapter. How can you help us celebrate this milestone? It may seem far off now, but please mark your calendar for September 20, 2025 when we will host a party to celebrate a few things: Michael's retirement, our 5th wedding anniversary, and that housewarming party we never got to have because of Covid.

For now, a big congratulations to Michael and we hope to see you in September if not before!

Elizabeth