• 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

 

Ray Smith receives DOE Gold Medal Award for helping to create national park

Posted at 12:04 pm November 21, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian, left, received a U.S. Department of Energy Gold Medal Award on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, for his role in helping to create the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge. The award was presented to Smith by retired Lieutenant General Frank G. Klotz, DOE under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian, left, received a U.S. Department of Energy Gold Medal Award on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, for his role in helping to create the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge. The award was presented to Smith by retired Lieutenant General Frank G. Klotz, DOE under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4:05 p.m.

D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian, received a U.S. Department of Energy Gold Medal Award on Monday for his role in helping to create the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The award was presented to Smith by retired Lieutenant General Frank G. Klotz, DOE under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Smith is retiring this month. He previously told Oak Ridge Today that he would retire November 22.

Established in November 2015, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is a unique three-site park that includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Among other activities, Oak Ridge built uranium enrichment facilities for the Manhattan Project at Y-12 and the former K-25 site, and the city had the pilot facility for plutonium production at the Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was then known as X-10.

In honoring Smith’s substantial contribution to the NNSA mission on Monday, Klotz noted that Smith’s legacy will be his efforts “to preserve Y-12’s history and promote Oak Ridge’s role in American history.”

Advertisement

Smith has more than 48 years of service at Y-12, an NNSA site, and he became the Y-12 historian in 2005 after many years of working in the site’s maintenance organization, a press release said. In 2005, he helped organize the largest public tour of the last existing set of Manhattan Project-era uranium-enriching calutrons in Building 9204-3, also known as Beta 3, with more than 1,200 people touring the facility.

In 2012, Smith testified during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing in support of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park legislation. His testimony and other efforts helped Congress’s decision to create the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in 2015, with Y-12’s Pilot Plant and the Beta 3 calutrons listed as part of the park, the press release said. (Former Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan also testified in 2012 on behalf of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and others also advocated on behalf of the park, including, to cite one example, the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. You can read two more stories here and here.)

Smith was named the City of Oak Ridge historian in 2015, and he was recently selected to serve on the Tennessee Historical Commission, the press release said. He has also played a key role in the planning and development of a new American Museum of Science and Energy that will open in 2018, according to the press release, which was from the NNSA Production Office, which oversees operations at Y-12 and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. The NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within DOE.

Smith is also vice president of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association and a history columnist for The Oak Ridger newspaper, where he writes “Historically Speaking.”

In October, after an overseas trip this summer, Smith said he wants to travel with his wife Fanny.

More information will be added as it becomes available.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2017 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, Atomic Heritage Foundation, atomic weapons, Beta 3, Building 9204-3, City of Oak Ridge, D. Ray Smith, Frank G. Klotz, Graphite Reactor, Hanford, historian, K-25, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee Historical Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Gold Medal Award, uranium enrichment, World War II, X-10, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 National Security Complex historian

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.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

More Community News

Presentation: Laws & children of different sexual identities

On Tuesday, February 7, the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will host John Jaruzel and Anne Backus, co-chairs of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Oak Ridge, and Nathan Higdon, CFO of Knox … [Read More...]

Roane State Dental Clinic offering free cleanings for kids

Free dental cleanings for children ages 4 to 12 are being offered through the end of March at the Roane State Dental Hygiene Clinic. The clinic is located on the first floor of the Coffey/McNally Building on Roane … [Read More...]

Free dental, vision, medical services in February

Remote Area Medical (RAM)—a major nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics delivering free, quality dental, vision, and medical care to those in need—will have a free, two-day clinic in Oak Ridge in February. The clinic … [Read More...]

Tickets on sale for Flatwater Storytelling Festival

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival in June will feature three nationally acclaimed storytellers: Lyn Ford, Bil Lepp, and Rev. Robert B. Jones. "Well-known to audiences throughout the country for their wit and … [Read More...]

Bird courtship to be discussed in UT Arboretum Society program

Bird courtship will be discussed in a pre-recorded program of the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society in February. "Bird courtship has begun!" a press release said. "Either from new partnerships being formed or … [Read More...]

More Community

More Government News

Residents discuss Dollar General in Marlow

A handful of Anderson County residents have expressed mixed opinions in government meetings about a reported proposal to build a Dollar General store next to Oliver Springs Highway in Marlow, but the Anderson County … [Read More...]

Read city manager’s retirement letter

This is a copy of the January 17 retirement letter from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to the seven Oak Ridge City Council members. Since August of 2010, I have been proud to serve the City of Oak Ridge as its … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge Public Library

Library restrooms will be renovated

The restrooms at the Oak Ridge Public Library will be renovated starting February 1. The renovations are expected to be completed by June 1. The renovations will result in increased accessibility under Americans … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators resumes Monday

Breakfast with the Legislators begins this year on Monday. The monthly breakfasts are scheduled each year while the Tennessee General Assembly is in session. They are hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, … [Read More...]

Former AC Commissioner Hitchcock dies

Note: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. Harry "Whitey" Hitchcock, who represented part of Oak Ridge in three terms on Anderson County Commission, died January 10. A former teacher, he was 76. Hitchcock served on … [Read More...]

More Government

More U.S. Department of Energy News

UCOR announces management change

United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC, the lead cleanup contractor at federal sites in Oak Ridge, has announced a top management change that will be effective April 1. UCOR Chief Operating Officer Tom Dieter has announced he … [Read More...]

Y-12 honored with DOE sustainability partnership award

The Y-12 National Security Complex recently received a U.S. Department of Energy Sustainability Award for Strategic Partnerships for Sustainability. The Y-12 team was recognized for its efforts to improve efficiency, … [Read More...]

UPF construction could cost more, take longer

The Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex was supposed to be completed by 2025 for no more than $6.5 billion, but that might no longer be the case. In the past week, federal officials said … [Read More...]

Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center

A new fire station and emergency operations center at the Y-12 National Security Complex will replace "severely outdated" buildings that were constructed in the 1940s, about eight decades ago. The new buildings will … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge EM prepared for cold weather to prevent failures

From DOE Office of Environmental Management’s "EM Update" newsletter UCOR employees Andy Rodgers, left, and Alex Johnson install heat tracing to protect systems at the Environmental Management Waste Management … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • Presentation: Laws & children of different sexual identities
  • CNC Bootcamp returns to Oak Ridge High School this spring
  • Roane State Dental Clinic offering free cleanings for kids
  • UCOR announces management change
  • Y-12 honored with DOE sustainability partnership award
  • Trapuzzano receives Eugene L. Joyce Achievement Award
  • Obituaries: Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2023
  • Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch
  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023

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