Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Pocket Guide unveiled in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge, DOE

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The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association has unveiled a new guide to the historic sites of the “Secret City” of Oak Ridge. The Manhattan Project, Secret City Pocket Guide was prepared by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Oak Ridge Schools.

The 44-page guide measures only 4 inches by 7 inches in size, so it easily fits in your pocket, a press release said. It tells the story of the Manhattan Project’s first major nuclear site, Oak Ridge—created less than a year after the Pearl Harbor attack. The guide is priced at $5.

The new guide is packed with historic photos, an introduction to the new national historical park, a driving map of Oak Ridge’s heritage sites, and fascinating factoids on the people who built one of the most amazing technical achievements in history, the press release said.

The guide’s author, Martin McBride, is a member of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association Board and a retired nuclear safety division director from the U.S. Department of Energy. [Read more…]

Coors, the beer brewer, honored for Manhattan Project work on Y-12 ceramic insulators

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From left to right standing are Colin Colverson, Oak Ridge Site Representative and Office of General Counsel; Padraic Benson, historian, Office of Legacy Management; Tracy Atkins, Principal Representative Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Office of Legacy Management; and Thomas Pauling, Acting Director, Office of Legacy Management. Seated in front is Bill Coors. (Photo courtesy DOE Office of Legacy Management)

 

William Kistler “Bill” Coors is best known for the beer brewed in the Rocky Mountains, but he was honored by federal officials this month for his historic work building ceramic insulators that were used in Oak Ridge to help build the world’s first atomic bombs.

On December 2, Coors received the Energy Secretary’s Appreciation Award in Golden, Colorado, which is west of Denver and at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

The award was presented by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Acting Director Thomas Pauling. It recognizes Coors’ historic role in providing critical insulators to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan Engineer District, also known as the Manhattan Project, during World War II, a press release said. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during the war—before Germany could.

The ceramic insulators were used in uranium enrichment operations at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, which was built as part of the Manhattan Project. [Read more…]

See student art at Oak Ridge library this month

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The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September 2016 is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School. (Submitted photo)

 

The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School.

These 19 tempera paintings were inspired by Ed Westcott’s photographs of early Oak Ridge. Some of the paintings were submitted as entries for the 2015 Congressional Medal of Honor Student Art Exhibit held at the Tennessee Valley Fair.

Painted in black, white, and gray tones, the images reflect the black and white photographs of Westcott, the famed Manhattan Engineer District’s photographer. Although the pictures depict the somber time period of World War II, youthful energy and movement can be seen in the artwork. [Read more…]

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

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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.” [Read more…]