The movie “Oppenheimer” opened up in theaters over the weekend and pulled in more than $180 million worldwide. It follows J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”. Oppenheimer was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, which developed the atomic bomb that would be used during World War II. One of Sumner’s own played a key role in that project. Staff at the Memories Are Forever Museum discovered that Herbert Potratz, who was born on a small farm outside Sumner, was the Chief Chemist at the Los Alamos facility. He was responsible for creating the radioactive isotopes that went into the “Fat Man” atomic bomb. An exhibit celebrating Potratz will be up in the museum until Labor Day, which is when the museum closes for the season. The museum is free to visit and is open from 1pm to 4pm on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
