• 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

 

Ed Westcott: Chief photographer in Oak Ridge during WWII, Muddy Boot winner today

Posted at 1:47 pm December 31, 2013
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Ray Smith Presents Muddy Boot Award to Ed Westcott

Ray Smith, left, Y-12 National Security Complex historian, presents a Muddy Boot Award to Ed Westcott, chief photographer in the “Secret City” during the Manhattan Project in World War II. (Photo by East Tennessee Economic Council)

He was one of the first workers hired in Oak Ridge as part of the top-secret race to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

At only 20 years old, he became the chief photographer for what was then the Manhattan Engineer District, Clinton Engineer Works. He was the only person authorized to take pictures in the “Secret City” during the Manhattan Project, and he captured some classic moments, including the jubilation of Oak Ridge residents the day they learned World War II had ended.

Now 91, Ed Westcott was honored for his historic photography in a surprise ceremony this month. He was given the Muddy Boot Award by the East Tennessee Economic Council. The awards, which have been given out since 1973, pay tribute to people who have made East Tennessee a stronger region through their work and community activities.

“Ed’s photographs are so broadly used that they literally express our history and visually tell the unique story of Oak Ridge and its impact on East Tennessee, the Southeast, the nation, and even the world,” said Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian. “So, he definitely qualifies for Muddy Boot consideration. Without Ed’s thousands of wonderful images, we would not be nearly as able to present our history.”

Y-12 Calutron Operators

Author Denise Kiernan says this photo inspired her to write a book on women in Oak Ridge during World War II. The photo shows women enriching uranium in calutrons at the Y-12 National Security Complex as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project.

Westcott’s photos adorn walls in offices, restaurants, and cafeterias around Oak Ridge, and they’re also posted online and available at the Oak Ridge Public Library. The new Kroger Marketplace shopping center has been named Westcott Center in his honor. One Westcott photo showing “Calutron Girls” working at Y-12 led to a New York Times best seller, “The Girls of Atomic City,” by author Denise Kiernan.

Smith said Westcott photographed eight U.S. presidents and served 35 years in the Atomic Energy Commission and its successor, the Energy Research and Development Administration. He took a picture of the signing ceremony when another successor, the U.S. Department of Energy, was formed in 1977. Westcott served DOE for several more years in various roles and photographed the White House signing ceremony when DOE was created, Smith said.

“We can never repay this man for his dedication to our heritage,” Smith said. “Without Ed Westcott’s photographs, we could not imagine telling our history. Yet, I have not met a more humble individual. I love Ed Westcott and am proud to be allowed to present him with this very special and well-deserved award, the Muddy Boot.”

Westcott will be 92 on Jan. 20. Smith said Westcott was the 27th Manhattan Project worker in Oak Ridge, and he has been here the longest of anyone still alive.

During the war years, Westcott was asked to record the construction activities of the three government plant sites—K-25, X-10, and Y-12—and the city being built to house the work force. He also provided photographic support to the residential community’s newspaper, the Oak Ridge Journal, ETEC said in a press release.

Ed Westcott's "War Ends" Photo

Ed Westcott captured the jubilation of Oak Ridge residents the day they learned World War II had ended. The people had only recently learned of the historic role the “Secret City” played in helping to end the war.

Westcott’s photos were included among the two dozen images that accompanied the first national press release revealing the atomic bomb project.

“This historic press release was published on Aug. 6, 1945, the same day as Little Boy, the world’s first atomic bomb, was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan,” ETEC said. “In one of his more famous photographs of 1945, Westcott captured a crowd of Oak Ridgers gathered to celebrate news of the end of World War II. This photo, known simply as ‘War Ends,’ is still published in newspapers and magazines around the world even today.”

For 35 years, Westcott photographed tens of thousands of unique images of construction in cities that included Oak Ridge; Paducah, Ky.; Portsmouth, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; St. Louis, Mo.; Puerto Rico; New Brunswick, N.J.; and other locations as directed by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, the Energy Research and Development Association, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

In 1966, Westcott transferred to AEC Headquarters in Maryland. It was there that he established the world’s largest library of energy-related visual images and included an in-house photographic laboratory, sound recording studio, control booth, motion picture studio, projection theater, and film/tape editing room, ETEC said.

Westcott retired and returned to Oak Ridge in 1977, and he continued to work under private contract with DOE, ETEC said.

Westcott has received many awards, including the DOE Secretary’s Appreciation Award, a plaque from DOE’s Oak Ridge Office, and a key to the city of Oak Ridge. In addition, he is a charter member of Oak Ridge organizations such as Elks Club, ’43 Club, and Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

ETEC said the Muddy Boot Award was created to honor people who have gone above the call of duty—like those who served the nation during the Manhattan Project—to make the community, the state of Tennessee, and the nation a better place to live and work. More than 70 people have received the award since that time. A full list of recipients and more information about the award can be found on the ETEC website at www.eteconline.org.

More Muddy Boots—as well as the Postma Young Professional Medals—were also presented earlier in December at ETEC’s annual meeting and awards celebration.

Filed Under: Business, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: AEC, atomic bombs, Atomic Energy Commission, Calutron Girls, Clinton Engineer Works, Denise Kiernan, DOE, East Tennessee Economic Council, Ed Westcott, Energy Research and Development Administration, Hiroshima, K-25, Manhattan Engineer District, Manhattan Project, Muddy Boot, Muddy Boot Award, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Journal, photography, photos, Ray Smith, Secret City, U.S. Department of Energy, War Ends, Westcott Center, World War II, X-10, 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.

Some 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 significant time 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.

Comments

  1. Ray Smith says

    December 31, 2013 at 8:30 pm

    Ed Westcott is an Oak Ridge icon. Without Ed’s photos we would not be able to know our history nearly as well. We would surely not be able to tell it/show it. Ed will be appreciated even more in coming generations as they seek to learn about Oak Ridge history. I am proud to know Ed Westcott and to have him as my friend.

    Reply
    • Sam Hopwood says

      January 1, 2014 at 8:09 am

      I remember Ed well. I was there the evening he took this picture while standing in the back of a truck at Jackson Sq. Although not visible in the photo ( I was at the edge of the group ) I was just a kid but we all knew ED. He was everywhere, always treated us as equals and one does not forget that. Yes, an icon for sure!!

      Reply
  2. johnhuotari says

    January 1, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Ed Westcott and his family have been supportive of small businesses in Oak Ridge as well, and I know we and others appreciate that.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Business News

MCLinc donation funds ramp for Children’s Museum

Submitted Barry Stephenson believes the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is one of the city’s treasures. The laboratory he leads, employee-owned Materials & Chemistry Laboratory Inc. (MCLinc), wants to make sure this … [Read More...]

ORNL Credit Union president retiring

ORNL Federal Credit Union President and Chief Executive Officer Colin Anderson plans to retire September 30. Anderson has been president and CEO since July 2015, and he has informed the ORNL FCU Board of Directors and … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge Housing Authority proposes home project in Scarboro

The Oak Ridge Housing Authority is interested in an affordable housing project on about 16-18 acres of city-owned land next to the Scarboro Community Center. The site was expected to be developed by Habitat for Humanity … [Read More...]

Company could evaluate leaving rail in place at airport

The Brentwood company performing preliminary studies for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport could evaluate leaving a short section of railroad in place and building a runway bridge over it. The short section of railroad … [Read More...]

CNC Bootcamp returns to Oak Ridge High School this spring

A popular bootcamp is returning to Oak Ridge High School this spring thanks to a recent partnership between Roane State Community College and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing … [Read More...]

More Business

More U.S. Department of Energy News

SNS on hiatus for upgrade

The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—already the world’s most powerful accelerator-based neutron source—will be on a planned hiatus through June 2024 as crews work to upgrade the … [Read More...]

Sholl named interim executive director of UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute

David Sholl, director of the Transformational Decarbonization Initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been appointed interim executive director of the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute. His … [Read More...]

ORNL scientist to lead project studying permafrost thaw, climate processes in Alaska

Submitted Colleen Iversen—ecosystem ecologist, group leader, and distinguished staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—has been named director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Next-Generation Ecosystem … [Read More...]

DOE asks for public comment about ETTP groundwater decision

The U.S. Department of Energy has asked for public comment about a proposed plan to reduce groundwater contamination in the main plant area of East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site in west Oak … [Read More...]

Ken Tarcza joins ORAU as chief of staff

Ken Tarcza has joined Oak Ridge Associated Universities as chief of staff. Tarcza comes to ORAU after an impressive military and federal career, a press release said. A graduate of West Point, Tarcza spent his military … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • SNS on hiatus for upgrade
  • County sees increase in infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices
  • ASAP of Anderson welcomes new executive director
  • Briceville Fire Department celebrates new station
  • Officers searching for suspect in fatal shooting
  • Oak Ridge to host movie premiere of ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Oak Ridge Schools to host panel discussion, documentary screening for ‘Oppenheimer’
  • Sam Bush to headline Summer Sessions concert
  • Anderson County government offices closed Monday, Tuesday
  • Oak Ridge Community Band performs on Independence Day

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today