Oak Ridge Today

Dedication ceremony for Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion is Thursday

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The new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell will be dedicated Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, in A.K. Bissell Park. This architect’s rendering shows the large cantilever structure, crossed by a series of beams, that will support the Bell in its new location. (Image courtesy of demianwilburarchitects)

The new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell will be dedicated Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, in A.K. Bissell Park. This architect’s rendering shows the large cantilever structure, crossed by a series of beams, that will support the Bell in its new location. (Image courtesy of demianwilburarchitects)

 

The new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell will be dedicated in a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, September 20, at the bell’s new site in A.K. Bissell Park. The bell’s sound will resonate for the first time from its new location that evening, from a pavilion designed to project harmony, stability, innovation, and peace, a press release said.

“We would not be where we are today without the passion of Shigeko Uppuluri and her son, Ram Uppuluri, who initiated the project by connecting us with a visionary architect, Ziad Demian, who embraced not only the challenge of an innovative design but an entire city,” said Alan Tatum, who co-chaired the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee with Pat Postma.

In the press release, Postma said that the architect’s first elegant and contemporary designs introduced a different way of thinking about what was possible for the new bell housing. That, and the decision to move the bell to a new location will make it more visible and accessible to the community, with added benefits of gardens and gathering spaces on benches around the bell, she said.

“This accomplishment and the fundraising it required was not just ambitious,” Postma said. “It was probably audacious, but Oak Ridge has a way of stepping up. Oak Ridgers are willing to support exceptional projects that speak for who we are as a city.” [Read more…]

Many community organizations support the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell

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The three Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs present a check for $10,000 for the Peace Pavilion that will house the International Friendship Bell, at the kickoff for the fundraising campaign last year. From left, they are last year’s Rotary Club presidents, Devrin Kuipers, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge; and Emily Jernigan, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. Accepting the check are Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

The three Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs present a check for $10,000 for the Peace Pavilion that will house the International Friendship Bell, at the kickoff for the fundraising campaign last year. From left, they are last year’s Rotary Club presidents, Devrin Kuipers, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge; and Emily Jernigan, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. Accepting the check are Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

When local organizations step up to support local initiatives, communities experience success.

“Communities that organize and work with a goal in mind benefit and prosper far more than those that don’t,” said Pat Postma, co-chair of a group leading a fund drive for a new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell.

Postma is pleased that many local organizations have contributed to the Friendship Bell drive, seeing it as a sign of strong community support when organizations that raise funds for their own causes contribute to other community initiatives, as well. They join contractors, businesses, local governments, and individuals that are supporting the effort, a press release said.

Among the first organization to contribute to the drive was the Girl Scouts Oak Ridge Service Unit, which observes the United Nations International Day of Peace annually at the Friendship Bell and has established friendships with Girl Scouts from Oak Ridge’s sister city in Japan, the press release said.

“The Girl Scouts of Oak Ridge made a donation of $1,000 when we had a visit from our sister Girl Scout Troop 37 in Naka, Japan, in 2014,” said Jerry Luckmann, community service coordinator for the Oak Ridge Service Unit, which covers about 30 troops in the Oak Ridge area. [Read more…]

Groundbreaking for Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion is Thursday

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The new Peace Pavilion for the International Friendship Bell at Alvin K. Bissell Park will feature a cantilever design. (Submitted image)

The new Peace Pavilion for the International Friendship Bell at Alvin K. Bissell Park will feature a cantilever design. (Submitted image)

 

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, September 21, at the bell’s new location in Alvin K. Bissell Park, just west of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will be master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking. The Oak Valley Baptist Church Choir will present a music program relating to the friendship and peace theme of the event. Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee, will take part in the ceremonies.

Major donors—including UT Battelle/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and CNS-Y-12—will participate in breaking ground for the new pavilion, a press release said.

The bell, created for Oak Ridge’s 50th birthday, is expected to bring its message of peace and friendship to the thousands of visitors expected at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, the press release said.. The new pavilion for the bell came about after city officials discovered that structural beams in the original bell house had severely deteriorated. [Read more…]

Business leaders support new life for Friendship Bell

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Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Submitted

When Ken Rueter and Alan Tatum met beside the iconic Friendship Bell in Bissell Park recently, they took a moment to reflect on the importance of preserving what the Bell symbolizes to the Oak Ridge community.

Tatum, an accelerator systems and stable isotopes group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is co-chair of the International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee along with Pat Postma. Rueter is President and Project Manager of URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, cleanup contractor for the East Tennessee Technology Park and other sites on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation. Both men serve on the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board.

The occasion of their May meeting was UCOR’s donation of $15,000 toward an effort to construct a new peace pavilion for the 8,300-pound bronze bell. Cast in Japan in 1993, the bell was dedicated at its current location in 1996 as a 50th anniversary landmark for the creation of the City of Oak Ridge, home to nuclear production facilities that helped end World War II. The bell symbolizes the bonds of peace and friendship that have been forged by Oak Ridge and Japan in the decades since the war ended. [Read more…]

Fleischmann, Belbeck, Pasqua receive Muddy Boot Awards

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randy-mcnally-and-chuck-fleischmann-muddy-boot-award-dec-9-2016-scaled

Tennessee Senator and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, left, presents a Muddy Boot Award to U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, at an East Tennessee Economic Council meeting on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. (DOE photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

Businessmen Mike Belbeck and Mike Pasqua and U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann were honored Friday with Muddy Boot Awards. The awards from the East Tennessee Economic Council, or ETEC, pay tribute to people who, through their work and activities, build a better community.

Pasqua helped found and grow SAIC’s Oak Ridge offices and later led the transition to Leidos, a press release said. Belbeck is executive vice president for operations of Covenant Health and active in numerous organizations across the region, the release said.

Covenant Health’s Jan McNally, who recruited Belbeck to be her successor as administrator of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, presented his award, and Sherry Browder, current chair of ETEC and a former colleague of Pasqua at SAIC, presented that Boot.

Fleischmann returned from Washington to receive his Muddy Boot Award, which was presented by incoming Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, the press release said.

The Council’s Pat Postma also presented the Postma Young Professional Medal to Wade Creswell, chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance. [Read more…]

ORAU donates $100,000 to International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion

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ORAU President and CEO Andy Page, left, surprises Pat Postma, second from left, and Alan Tatum, second from right, co-chairs of the Advisory Committee of the International Friendship Peace Pavilion, with a $100,000 donation from ORAU to go toward the new pavilion on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. Also pictured is ORAU Executive Vice President Eric Abelquist. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

 

Surprise announcement made at ETEC annual awards luncheon

ORAU President and CEO Andy Page presented a $100,000 donation for the International Friendship Peace Pavilion during a surprise announcement at the East Tennessee Economic Council’s annual awards luncheon on Friday.

The plans for the new International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion, which includes moving the 8,000-pound bronze cast bell from its current location in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge to another location within the park, were unveiled recently.

Organizers and volunteers have now raised $525,000 in the drive to  build the new Peace Pavilion. They have said it could cost $750,000 to build the new structure and pavilion. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs donate $10,000 to Friendship Bell project

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Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs announced on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016, a $10,000 donation to the project to rebuild the pavilion for the International Friendship Bell and relocate it at Alvin K. Bissell Park. From left are Devrin Kuipers, president of Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, president of Oak Ridge Rotary Club; Emily Jernigan, president of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club; and Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs announced Thursday that they are donating $10,000 to the project to build a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell at a new location in Oak Ridge’s Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The donation was announced by Devrin Kuipers, president of Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, president of Oak Ridge Rotary Club; and Emily Jernigan, president of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. It was accepted by Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee.

The check presentation was the start of a public campaign to raise $750,000 for the project. A total of $416,000, or more than half the money, has either already been raised or pledged.

Also Thursday, UT-Battelle announced a $150,000 donation to the project. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle donates $150,000 for new Friendship Bell pavilion

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, center, presented a check to Pat Postma, right, and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee, during a ceremony at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Pollard Auditorium on Thursday, Nov 17, 2016. (Photo by ORNL)

 

UT-Battelle has announced a $150,000 gift toward construction of a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell located in Oak Ridge’s Alvin K. Bissell Park.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason presented a check to Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee, during a Thursday evening ceremony at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Pollard Auditorium.

The check presentation was the start of a public campaign to raise $750,000 for the project. A total of $416,000 has either already been raised or pledged.

“The International Friendship Bell is an important symbol of the heritage and future of Oak Ridge,” Mason said. “UT-Battelle is proud to support the construction of a new Peace Pavilion that will make the bell a focal point for the city and for the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.” [Read more…]

New International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion plans to be unveiled Thursday

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Friendship Bell

Friendship Bell (Submitted photo)

 

The community is invited to view striking new plans for the International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion and to learn of its new location in Bissell Park at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 17, at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Pollard Auditorium, which is at 1000 ORAU Way.

The International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee will host the community gathering to unveil the Peace Pavilion and plaza design for the bell’s new location in Bissell Park. The bell, an Oak Ridge icon now sitting in silence, will bring its message of peace to the tens of thousands of visitors expected to visit the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a press release said. Next steps are being taken to position the bell to ring again.

Ziad Demian, architect who designed the new Peace Pavilion and its surrounding plaza, will bring to life, in images and narrative, the real and symbolic importance of the bell that has become an important icon of Oak Ridge. The new pavilion will immediately become a community landmark and contribute to Bissell Park’s “sense of place,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Fillauer, the school board chair, seeks re-election to BOE

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Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer is seeking to be re-elected to the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Fillauer has served on the school board for 15 years and has served as chair for the last four years. He also serves as East director for the Tennessee School Board Association Board of Directors.

Fillauer is a retired Oak Ridge teacher and coach. He taught and coached at Robertsville Junior High for 27 years and at Oak Ridge High School for four years, a press release said. Fillauer has been recognized as a member of the All Tennessee School Board, Tennessee Teacher of the Year, and Freedom Foundation Award winner, and he received the Governor’s Outstanding Tennessean Award.

Fillauer has also received the Service Above Self award from the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, the press release said. He is a member of the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame and the Anderson County Hall of Fame.

Fillauer serves as president of a property management business in Cleveland, Tennessee. He is involved in many fundraising efforts, especially for the Ronald McDonald House, the press release said. [Read more…]

Sister City makes major contribution to Friendship Bell Pavilion, Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization

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masami-kinefuchi-pat-postma-alan-tatum-and-shigeki-uppuluri-at-friendship-bell-check-presentation

Masami Kinefuchi, second from right, Consul-General of Japan based in Nashville, represented Japan as the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization celebrated the 25th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Naka-shi, Japan. At the celebration, Alan Tatum, left, and Pat Postma, second from left, received a check for almost $10,000 from Naka for the International Friendship Bell’s new Peace Pavilion. With them is Shigeki Uppuluri, who was instrumental in bringing the bell to Oak Ridge and serves with Tatum and Postma on the Citizens Advisory Committee raising funds for the new pavilion. (Submitted photo)

 

Naka-shi, Japan, Oak Ridge’s sister city for 25 years, recently made a major contribution for the newly designed Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell in Bissell Park.

Residents of the City of Naka contributed almost $10,000 for the new Peace Pavilion when an Oak Ridge Sister City delegation visited the Japanese city this summer. Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn accepted the check on behalf of Oak Ridge.

Chinn presented the check to Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee, at the August welcome reception for Naka-shi students and chaperones celebrating the sister cities’ 25th anniversary. The advisory committee is spearheading the fundraising campaign for the Peace Pavilion and plans to formally kick off the campaign in November.

Masami Kinefuchi, Consul-General of Japan based in Nashville, spoke at the Jefferson Middle School reception hosted by the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization, welcoming guests from Japan and representing Japan during the ceremonies. He said he hoped Oak Ridge would be the home of the international friendship between Japan and the United States. [Read more…]