Meet the Staff!

Jimmy & Ann Holder

James A. Holder, son of Phyllis and Alfred Holder, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He has been married to Elizabeth Ann for 30 years and they have a son named James Christopher who is 29 years old.

Jimmy, as he is known, started his career at Johnson Space Center in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Building 37 in February of 1967. He worked as a Plastics technician, and a Machinist technician until transferring to the Sample Storage and Preparation Laboratory (SSPL) in Building 31 in the early 70’s. He helped to set up and clean cabinets as well as run tubing for the nitrogen cabinets in construction of the Lunar Processing Laboratory. Later, Jimmy worked as a Lunar Sample Processor where he provided sample research, geologic observation and examinations, bandsawing, sample identifications and photo-documentation. He was reassigned from this position to the Thin Section Laboratory (TSL) in 1974 as a technician.

Jimmy produces top quality thin sections of lunar, meteorite and terrestrial samples for Principle Investigators and scientists all over the world. He also teaches thin section production. Writing procedures is just another laboratory task which he assumes. Under Jimmy’s direction, the TSL has continued to uphold its reputation of producing the best thin sections in the world.

Jimmy is not only devoted to his family, but he spends time helping a former coworker in a Convalescent Home. In his quiet time, Jimmy enjoys fishing and golf—lots of golf!

Our thanks to Jimmy for his many years of hard work, support and dedication to the cause of Lunar Sample Curation.