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Table of Contents
Published in The Oak Ridger
Published in The Oak Ridge Observer
Published in Y-Source
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Jack Case – Tool and Die Maker
This second installment in the history of Jack Case - namesake for the Jack Case Center - will focus on his early life and how he came to be at Y-12. As mentioned in the first article, the new 450,000 sq. ft. production support facility being constructed north of the site of the old Ad Building 9704-2 is named the Jack Case Center in honor of the memory of Jack M. Case, the Y-12 Plant Manager with the longest tenure – 15 years. Many of those who knew Mr. Case still recall his distinctive voice and his unique leadership style. Several who voted for the selection of Jack Case Center have said they take great pride in seeing his name chosen for one of the new privately financed buildings.
Mr. Case was a native of East Alton, Illinois. He served a four-year Toolmaker apprentice program at Olin Cartridge Company in his home town. Early in his career he worked in several aircraft plants in California where he received special engineering training at the University of California at Los Angeles. He also worked in small arms tool design and fabrication with the U. S. Cartridge Company at St. Louis, Missouri. He joined the Tennessee Eastman Corporation at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant in April, 1944.
The way Jack came to be selected to go to Oak Ridge was a bit unusual. In 1943, both Jack and his brother-in-law, Ben Karnosky, joined the Illinois National Guard. In April 1944, they both were being drafted into the regular Army at St. Louis, Missouri. As they were going through the induction process, one of the officers processing the paperwork said to Jack, “You are going to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. You can either go as a civilian or as military, but you are sure going! They want you because you are a ‘toolmaker’.” Jack did not necessarily know what to think. As far as he knew there was no such place as “Oak Ridge, Tennessee.” His brother-in-law was going to fight in the war and here he was getting sent to somewhere in Tennessee that he had never heard tell of, doing what - he had no idea - and what he really wanted was to help win the war. Little did he know just how much he would contribute to actually winning the war in just over a year and a half! He and his brother-in-law parted company there and Jack came to Oak Ridge. He spent the first three months here alone and then brought his family to live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
His young son, Larry – the first born child in the family, was less than four months old at the time the Case family moved here. In addition to Larry, others in the Case family are: wife Hazel (deceased), daughter Linda Fellers and son Patrick. Larry and his wife Marilyn have two children – Blake and Stacey. Blake’s son, born in June 2005 is named for his great grandfather – our own Jack Marion Case. Stacy has a daughter – Ella Ruth Rumpsa born July 2005.
Over the years, Jack Case worked as a Toolmaker, a Craft Foreman, General Foreman, General Foreman for Shops, Maintenance Department superintendent, Maintenance Division Head, Mechanical Operations Superintendent, Assistant Y-12 Plant Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent for the Y-12 Plant and finally Y-12 Plant Superintendent in 1967. He served in that capacity until his retirement in January 1982. At his retirement, Clyde Hopkins, then Vice President of Union Carbide Nuclear Division, said, “He began work April 10, 1944 as a Toolmaker, and in five years he was a superintendent. In 1954, he became manager of the largest production division in the plant – the old Mechanical Operations division which involved 40 to 50 percent of the workers in the whole plant. In the 1960’s he was made assistant plant manager and a few years later plant manager. Few persons are able to influence the lives of others as Jack Case has. He is one of the major reasons Y-12 has the reputation of a can-do outfit. And there is no question but people will tell you he is a great fellow to work with.”
The name - Jack Case Center – a choice made by Y-12 employees that represented a 2-1 margin of over 300 voters is an indicator that several people still recall the Jack Case I am writing about. In coming installments, more comments from his retirement party will demonstrate even further the great esteem with which he was held by the 700 people who attended his retirement party in the Oak Ridge Tool and Engineering building that was so new in 1982 that it did not yet have any heat. George Evans was responsible for the logistics of the retirement party and likely found the only structure in Oak Ridge that would hold 700 people at the time!
The content for the above story came from Larry Case, Jack’s oldest son and also from the February 1, 1982 edition of The Oak Ridger, where Joan Wallace’s top (above the fold!) front page coverage of Jack’s retirement article is entitled “Hundreds exude warmth for Y-12 chief.”
D. Ray Smith – 12/28/05
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