• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Funeral, community reception for city historian Bill Wilcox on Saturday

Posted at 9:09 am September 4, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bill Wilcox

Bill Wilcox

A funeral and community reception have been scheduled for Saturday for Bill Wilcox, a chemist who came to Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project in World War II and went on to become technical director for federal facilities K-25 and Y-12, was named Oak Ridge city historian, and led the fight to preserve the history of the former K-25 site, which was built during World War II to enrich uranium for atomic bombs.

The funeral is at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 212 N. Tulane Ave. in Oak Ridge. The community reception is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the lobby at Pollard Auditorium at Oak Ridge Associated Universities at 120 Badger Ave.

Wilcox, 90, was a beloved storyteller known for his bow ties and passion for life. He died Monday evening but appeared to be thinking about the city’s history even in his last days.

“The last time I spoke with him, I was told by his son that he became more alert than he had been for some time,” said friend Ray Smith, who is Y-12 National Security Complex historian and a newspaper columnist. “I only stayed for a very few minutes as he was obviously very weak. He told me ‘good job’ on the newspaper articles about Wheat (a former community in west Oak Ridge near the former K-25 site)…Imagine that, my friend and mentor to the very last. I will miss him immensely.”

Smith said Wilcox was “a fighter until the very end and insisted that he was going to beat congestive heart failure once again.”

Wilcox rallied over the weekend, Smith said.

“But after he was moved to NHC Healthcare on Monday, he again became weaker and just never could regain his strength this time,” Smith said.

Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan released a statement on behalf of the city.

“I was very saddened to hear the news of Bill’s passing,” Beehan said. “He is truly one of Oak Ridge’s most distinguished citizens and has enriched our community in countless ways. He was a pioneer scientist of the Manhattan Project, and as city historian, Bill helped preserve Oak Ridge’s unique history through his leadership on projects such as the Secret City Commemorative Walk and the Birth of a City projects. On behalf of the City of Oak Ridge, I extend our condolences to his wife Jeanie and their children.”

People across the community said Wilcox had had a major impact upon their lives.

Longtime friend Gordon Fee, who was hired by Wilcox at K-25 in 1956 and went on to become president of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, said Wilcox factored into all of his major decisions.

It might be a cliche, Fee said, but “they’ve thrown away the mold on this one.”

Katy Brown, president of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Wilcox was a key volunteer for the city’s tourism organization for at least the 12 years she has worked there.

“He was always a fixture in our media strategy, serving as an interviewee many times over for hundreds of journalists from across the world,” Brown said. “He was captivating, and the media raved about the personality and information that he brought to their stories.”

Brown said she could count on Wilcox for anything.

“He never told me ‘no,'” she said. “In fact, he’d stop what he was doing just to spend time with a travel writer or take on a media opportunity. We spent his 84th birthday together at his house with a film crew and Oliver North, capturing footage for ‘War Stories’ on Fox News Channel, and Bill was happy as a clam. He was unique and heartfelt because he lived the stories he told. He was funny and charismatic, a wealth of knowledge, and extremely humble. None of this was done for any other reason than to continue sharing our history, and the incredible things that were done here, with the people of the world.”

Like others, Brown said she is terribly sad that Wilcox is gone.

“But I feel so lucky and honored that he would consider me a friend,” Brown said. “I just wish we could’ve shared more than just 12 years amidst his 90.”

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m.

Filed Under: Community, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bill Wilcox, Birth of a City, city historian, community reception, funeral, K-25, K-25 site, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Pollard Auditorium, Ray Smith, Secret City Commemorative Walk, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Tom Beehan, World War II, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Advertisements


 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Community News

DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

U.S. Department of Energy public bus tours have resumed in Oak Ridge after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tours began running again on July 11, and they are scheduled to continue through … [Read More...]

Learn why bugs are good

Submitted Every bug has a purpose. Did you know that very few caterpillars reach their mature size because birds gobble them down? It is estimated that one pair of chickadees must find 6,000 caterpillars to feed one … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge has July 4 concert, fireworks

The annual July 4 concert and fireworks show is in Oak Ridge this evening. The Independence Day fireworks display will be held in Alvin K. Bissell Park on Monday, July 4, and it is scheduled to begin at dark, around … [Read More...]

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Experience world cultures at Children’s Museum International Festival

Flamenco, Irish, and Greek dancers will be among entertainers at the International Festival on Saturday, February 26, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. A special guest from Ireland, musician and singer Fionan Casey, … [Read More...]

More Community

More U.S. Department of Energy News

Disposing of uranium waste could cost at least $7.2 billion

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates it could cost at least $7.2 billion to convert and dispose of tens of thousands of cylinders of depleted uranium hexafluoride, a dangerous, corrosive waste byproduct of the uranium … [Read More...]

Y-12 now getting power from Pine Ridge substation

Submitted The Y-12 National Security Complex flipped the switch on a new era as crews finalized the process of moving the entire site’s electrical supply to the new Pine Ridge substation. In June, the Building … [Read More...]

DOE picks Idaho for nuclear test reactor

The U.S. Department of Energy has decided to build a nuclear test reactor at Idaho National Laboratory to study fuels and materials. Besides INL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory had been considered as a potential site … [Read More...]

DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

U.S. Department of Energy public bus tours have resumed in Oak Ridge after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tours began running again on July 11, and they are scheduled to continue through … [Read More...]

Crews prepare former ORNL reactors for demolition

The U.S. Department of Energy and cleanup contractor UCOR are preparing to demolish research reactor facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Crews are nearing the final stages of deactivation inside two former … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • ORAU launches new app with a variety of resources available, including hundreds of STEM internships, fellowships and research opportunities
  • Disposing of uranium waste could cost at least $7.2 billion
  • Y-12 now getting power from Pine Ridge substation
  • Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings
  • Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash
  • DOE picks Idaho for nuclear test reactor
  • TBI investigating man’s death
  • Luminarias to feature peace messages
  • Oak Ridge tennis court dance is Thursday
  • DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today