Los Alamos names three 2026 Living Treasures honorees

The board behind Living Treasures of Los Alamos chose Linda Daly, John Ruminer and Kyle Wheeler for its 2026 class after reviewing more than 100 nomination letters from community members. The three will be honored Sept. 27 at Fuller Lodge, continuing a local tradition that has singled out the unpaid civic work that keeps Los Alamos running.

Daly was recognized for years of service to the Los Alamos Family YMCA, along with leadership roles with Kiwanis, the Los Alamos Medical Center Advisory Board and the Los Alamos Community Foundation. Ruminer was honored for preserving local history, especially through the Oppenheimer House and the Hans Bethe House on Bathtub Row. Wheeler was selected for long service to Los Alamos County, including work on the Planning and Zoning Commission, a term as a County Councilor and help establishing the local recycling program.

That mix of honorees reflects the kind of labor Los Alamos depends on outside formal payrolls. The YMCA, medical advisory work, civic clubs, historic preservation and county boards all rely on steady volunteers and longtime advocates who know the institutions well enough to keep them functioning. In a small county, that memory matters when leadership turns over and when residents expect services to keep working without interruption.

Living Treasures of Los Alamos was formed in 1999, spearheaded by Rosalie Heller, to celebrate senior citizens whose service has shaped the community. Since then, the program has honored 108 Los Alamos seniors or near-seniors. A 2025 nomination notice said the group had held 34 ceremonies by then. During its first eight years, it held two ceremonies a year, with two to four honorees each time, before shifting in 2007 to one annual selection of three people.

The nomination process is built around civic footprint, asking residents to explain when a nominee came to Los Alamos, how long that person has been involved in community activities, which areas they have contributed to and how Los Alamos benefited. That focus helps explain why this year’s class spans social service, preservation and county governance rather than a single field.

Ruminer’s work carries particular weight at a time when the Oppenheimer House is in restoration and fundraising for its final phase of development. The Hans Bethe House, also on the Los Alamos Historical Society campus, contains the Harold Agnew Cold War Gallery. Wheeler’s service also lands in the day-to-day mechanics of local government: the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission advises County Council on planning, zoning and the long-term physical development of Los Alamos County, while county environmental services still manage weekly trash collection and bi-weekly recycling and yard-trimming pickup for many residential customers.