Leo F. Hemphill

Leo F. Hemphill, 72, an engineer involved in the making of thefirst atomic bomb, died Thursday at Rush North Shore Medical Centerin Skokie.

Mr. Hemphill was one of the earliest members of the ManhattanProject in Oak Ridge, Tenn., which was created to develop the atomicbomb in the early 1940s. The project was later moved to Los Alamos,N.M..

"He was hired before he finished school. We were very proud ofhis work," said Mr. Hemphill's wife, Elinor.

Mr. Hemphill, a Chicago native, was a graduate of the IllinoisInstitute of …