Oak Ridge Today

Obituary: Janet Heck Nave

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Janet Heck Nave

Janet Heck Nave

Janet Heck Nave passed away December 30, 2014, in Oak Ridge. She was born December 2, 1941, in Rogersville, Tennessee.

After graduating from Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport in 1960, Janet attended Emory and Henry College where she met her future husband, Larry, during the first week of freshman orientation at a class picnic. Janet and Larry married in 1962 in January of her sophomore year. Janet graduated from Emory and Henry with a B.A. in English in 1965.

She taught English at Jefferson County High School in Jefferson City and was Head Librarian at Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala. An extremely supportive wife and dutiful mother, Janet still managed to obtain her Master’s degree in Educational Media from Auburn University in 1976.

After moving to Oak Ridge in 1977, Janet worked at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for 24 years from 1978 through 2002 as an Information Scientist, Database Administrator, and Public Information Specialist. [Read more…]

Obituary: Richard E. Pawel

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Richard E. Pawel

Richard E. Pawel

Richard E. Pawel, 82, of Oak Ridge, died peacefully in his sleep on January 2 at Briarcliff Health Care Center.

He was born to George and Thelma Pawel in upstate New York in March 1932 and, after short stays in New York and North Carolina, grew up in Norris where he graduated from High School in 1948.

He went on to graduate from the University of Tennessee with a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering in 1956 at the age of 24, which for a time placed him as the youngest engineering student from UT to receive the PhD degree. While in graduate school at UT, in 1955, he married the former Teresa Gravette and set in motion almost 60 years of joyful companionship. [Read more…]

Glazer, developer of former Downtown Shopping Center, dies at 93

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Guilford Glazer and Diane Pregerson Glazer

Guilford Glazer and Diane Pregerson Glazer (Source: Tel Aviv University)

 

Guilford Glazer

Guilford Glazer (Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m.

Philanthropist and developer Guilford Glazer, whose company built the former Downtown Shopping Center in Oak Ridge in the 1950s, died at his Beverly Hills home in California on Tuesday. He was 93.

Glazer, who still owns property in Oak Ridge and Knoxville, was born in Knoxville in 1921. He was one of seven children born to Eastern European immigrants, according to a story in the Beverly Hills Courier. He studied engineering at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for two years before joining the Navy during World War II, working in ship construction.

When he returned home from the war, Glazer entered the business world when he took over the family welding shop and turned it into a major steel fabrication business, Glazer Steel Corporation, the Courier said. Glazer Steel fabricated bridges and many other structures for the government of France, among many other customers.

“Glazer’s first development was a building in Knoxville that has been described as the city’s ‘first high-rise apartment building,'” the Courier said. “He entered the real estate business in 1951, when a company he led was selected by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission to build a shopping center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. That shopping center opened in 1955 and not long after, Glazer picked up and moved to Los Angeles.” [Read more…]

Obituary: David Justus Johnson Jr.

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David Justus Johnson Jr.

David Justus Johnson Jr.

David Justus Johnson Jr., age 93, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, passed away on December 20, 2014, after a brief illness and a long life.

David was born in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from Armour Tech (Illinois Institute of Technology). He met his wife of 69 years, Jane Louise Somers, of Evanston, Illinois, on a blind date arranged by a member of her brother Roger Ward Somer’s jazz band.

He is survived by his children David Somers Johnson (Galina), Ann Scappaticci, Roger Ward Johnson (Deborah), and Katherine Jane Martin (Melvin); his grandchildren Cheryl and Stephan Scappaticci (Susan), Ben Johnson (Kathleen Lordo), Shawna Martin, Chelsea Martin, and David Martin; great-grandchildren Jameson and Isabella Scappaticci, and Aurora Jane Johnson.

David was preceded in death by parents David Justus Johnson and Emily Sundell Johnson, and sisters Grace Hager and Hattie. [Read more…]

Obituary: Mitchell Jerry Davis

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Mitchell Jerry Davis

Mitchell Jerry Davis

Mitchell Jerry Davis, age 57, of Clinton, passed away Tuesday, December 16, at Methodist Medical Center.

He was born April 13, 1957, in Oliver Springs, the son of Charles Perry Davis and Louise Echols Davis.

Mr. Davis was the owner of Davis Dry Wall. He enjoyed spending time with his family and particularly his grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers, Harold, Clifford, Kenny, Dale, Jack, Ronnie and Dennis and sister, Glenda. [Read more…]

Obituary: Ruth Slusher

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Ruth Slusher passed away Friday, December 5.

She was born in Pineville, Kentucky, in 1925. She was later a resident of Rhea County, where she owned a home on Watts Barr Lake and also in Oak Ridge.

She was predeceased by her father, Otis Violet Slusher, and mother, Nancy Samples Slucher; and sisters, Mary Hale, Rose Montgomery, Sarah Jordan, and Cordelia Shepherd.

She is survived by her husband, Grimes Slaughter, and many nieces and nephews, including special nephew, Mark Jordan of Wilmington, North Carolina. [Read more…]

Obituary: J.D. Campbell

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J. D. Campbell, age 87, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Friday, December 12, at Methodist Medical Center.

Mr. Campbell was born October 18, 1927, in the Wheat Community in Roane County. He lived in Georgia for several years; however, he has lived most of his life in Oliver Springs.

J.D. was retired from the construction business. He enjoyed spending time outdoors and gardening.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph A. Campbell and Lucy Turpin Campbell; by a son, Sammy Campbell; by a daughter, Phyllis Campbell; by a sister, Ruth Rutherford; and by brothers, Calvin, Kenneth, and Clyde Campbell. [Read more…]

Obituary: Jack Stanley Long

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Jack Stanley Long

Jack Stanley Long

Jack Stanley Long, age 80, of Oak Ridge passed away Saturday, December 13, at Maple Court in Powell from complications of dementia.

He was born April 23, 1934, in Knoxville, the son of Ada Brown and Theodore Roosevelt Long. He served his country for two years in the U.S. Army.

Mr. Long retired from Lockheed Martin, where he was a painter at the Y-12 plant for 28 years. He was a member of the International Union Painters Allied Trades (IUPAT), Local #1805.

He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church. Mr. Long was a self-taught artist and excelled in drawing portraits in pastels. He also enjoyed building and remodeling his home. He loved the outdoors and spent a lot of his free time fishing, hunting, and flower gardening. [Read more…]

Obituary: Timothy E. Myrick

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Tim Myrick

Tim Myrick

Timothy E. Myrick died peacefully at the age of 60 on Sunday, December 14, 2014, at his home in Powell after a year-and-a-half battle with cancer. An engineer who had worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and SAIC, he was well known in Oak Ridge as an award-winning, model community leader and volunteer. Many also called him a teacher and friend.

He and his wife Teresa were honored on April 29, 2014, for their “lifetime of commitment to the people of Oak Ridge and Anderson County.” He was recognized as the only volunteer who helped construct each of the 59 homes built by Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County since its inception in 1992.

At the time, a successful fundraising campaign had been launched to support the construction of a 59th house in Myricks’ honor. The new Honorary Myrick Build is located in Heiskell, not far from the Myricks’ farm, where they had grown Christmas trees that they donated to the American Cancer Society for fundraising and to the Holiday Bureau.

A few weeks ago, Myrick received the Bill Wilcox Bow Tie award from Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties to honor him as “community leader, volunteer, teacher, husband, and friend.” Myrick was on the ADFAC board for 12 years and served as its president for 10. He also helped craft a long-range plan for ADFAC and provided matching funds for a house build. [Read more…]

Obituary: Thomas Stephen ‘T.S.’ Thrasher

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Thomas Stephen "T.S." Thrasher

Thomas Stephen “T.S.” Thrasher

Thomas Stephen “T.S.” Thrasher Jr., age 29, blessed this world on July 5, 1985, and was devastatingly taken from us on December 8, 2014, to share his bright light with his Savior Jesus Christ.

T.S. was dedicated to God as an infant at Fountain City Presbyterian Church in Knoxville. T.S. spent his childhood and the majority of his adult life residing in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

T.S. began developing a strong work ethic at the age of 12, as evidenced by his first job delivering two paper routes at The Oak Ridger.

T.S. was the best brother in the whole world and was especially a champion for his sister Grace. He had a close and unique relationship with each of his brothers and sisters.

T.S. attended Oak Ridge High School and earned his diploma in 2003. He had just completed his final examinations at Pellissippi State University majoring, ironically, in criminal justice. He had completed all scholastic requirements and was to graduate in January 2015 with honors. [Read more…]