Alma was born in Detroit, the youngest daughter of Charlie and Eunice Estes. She graduated from Denby High School, then obtained her BFA from Wayne State University. She joined Bendix Research Laboratory as a photolithographic technician, and transferred to Baltimore to continue her career. She was encouraged to return to school by a colleague, and graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BS in Applied Science. She transferred to Westinghouse Advanced Technology Laboratory to grow gallium arsenide for microwave devices. This spurred her interest in materials science, and she returned to Johns Hopkins University to pursue a PhD. After graduation, she joined the Naval Research Laboratory to work on gallium nitride materials growth. She then transferred to the Army Research Laboratory to work on MEMS technology, and rose through the ranks. She ended her career at ARL in the front office as Assistant Director of Technology.
Alma was a trailblazer. She was breaking glass ceilings and making huge moves as a female in a male-dominated industry before it was cool. She led with kindness and was patient, but was also firm. She was inquisitive, always stood up for what she believed in, and was never afraid to speak her mind. She was once called “the bitch from Baltimore” by a colleague, and rather than feeling upset or embarrassed, she owned it and continued pushing for what she knew was right.
Alma dealt with three types of cancer on three separate occasions, and taught every female in her life to always question even the littlest change and seek out medical advice (and always advocate for yourself if they say “I’m sure it’s nothing”). Hopefully this is a lesson everyone learns from reading this. She sadly lost this final battle, but she made sure to give it a good fight.
Alma had recently made the move from Baltimore to San Diego to be with her daughter, son-in-law, and grand-dog. She truly made sure to enjoy every day to its fullest capacity. In her final few weeks, she watched the Pacific waves crashing at Sunset Cliffs, enjoyed an afternoon tea with her family and close friends, witnessed "Daughter 2.0" (a close friend turned family) get married, and met her future (human) grandchild via bedside ultrasound.
As we remember such an amazing person, please go forward, even if just for today, and be like Alma. Dig deep, find the best part of yourself, highlight it. Be compassionate, empathetic, non-judgemental, anti-racist.
The family will be planning a celebration of Alma's life in the near future, and will update the CaringBridge website with this information.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to charities that Alma supported most. These are as follows:
-Padres Pedal the Cause: https://support.gopedal.org/fundraiser/3215069
-Maryland Food Bank: https://mdfoodbank.org/donate/
-Friends of Patterson Park: https://pattersonpark.com/donate
-Project Scientist: https://projectscientist.org/get-involved/donate
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