Oak Ridge
Heritage and Preservation Association
January 11, 2007
In attendance:
Anne McBride, Martin McBride, John Clark, Wanda Hagood, Susan Welch, Emily
Hunnicutt, Don Hunnicutt, Ed Westcott, Betty White, Dave White, Betty Williams,
Bill Williams, Mary Fair, Colleen Black, Margaret Allard, Sonja Pope, Dick
Macklin, Ginny Macklin, Jim Gillespie, Sara Gillespie, Dick Raridon, Mick Wiest,
Becky Norwood, Bobbie Martin, Rachel Vowell, Judy Clevenger, Jack Bailey, Pat
Bailey, Lloyd Stokes, Betty Stokes, Anne Ross, Jane Shelton, Don Welch, Kathy
Moore, John Westcott, Floyd Shook, Glenda Gibbs, Howard Harvey, Elaine Trauger,
Don Trauger, Jerry Wagner, Paul Spray, Katy Brown, Nichy Reynolds, Karen Baker,
O.C. Calvert, P.D. Row, Tom Row, Bob Baker, Willie Baker, Ken Whitehouse, Peggy
Whitehouse, Steve Stow, D. Ray Smith, Fred Heddleson, Bill Henry, C. J. Maddux,
Ruth Ann Maddux, Don Hackett, Dave Miller, Heidi Miller, Harold Jernigan, Keith
McDaniel, Bill Wilcox, George Warlick.
The meeting began at 6:10 PM at the Midtown Community Center.
Present were 70 people. An attendance list was signed by 65. (Attachment 1 on
file)
ORHPA President, Keith McDaniel opened the meeting with a thank you to everyone
for attending the meeting. He announced membership dues are currently due for
this year. He also introduced the new ORHPA board members and officers present,
to the audience.
Keith McDaniel announced we will be sending out emails to the membership, with a
review of committee activities included, before each membership meeting. He
displayed copies of the newsletter emailed to members this past week.
(Attachment 2 on file)
Recognition was given to the former ORHPA officers and board members for their
service to the organization. Certificates of Appreciation were given with
applause to:
Kathy Moore for volunteer service as ORHPA President from 2003 to 2006 -
Kathie Shearer for volunteer service as ORHPA Vice President from 2004 to 2006 –
Betty White for volunteer service as ORHPA Secretary from 2000 to 2001 and from
2004 to 2006 –
Mick Wiest for volunteer service as ORHPA President from 2000 to 2002 and on the
ORHPA Board of Directors from 2004 to 2006 –
Rachel Vowell for volunteer service on the ORHPA Board of Directors from 2004 to
2006 –
Jerry Creasey for volunteer service on the ORHPA Board of Directors in 2006 –
Jerry Wagner for volunteer service on the ORHPA Board of Directors in 2006 –
D. Ray Smith read a thank you letter from the Oak Ridge Public Library to the
ORHPA membership. The letter was thanking us for giving 2 copies of the
reprinted Robinson book, The Oak Ridge Story, along with the two copies of Keith
McDaniel’s DVDs, Secret City: The Oak Ridge Story - the War Years and Secret
City: The Oak Ridge Story – 1945 - 2006, to the Library’s collection.
Sara Gillespie has sold and delivered to customers all but 8 of the 100 ORHPA
reprints of the George O. “Gus” Robinson book.
Minutes - ORHPA Membership Meeting January 11, 2007 page 2
Keith McDaniel announced the Board of Directors will meet again in two weeks.
Martin McBride asked if the information he submitted several months ago,
regarding the request for ORHPA support to the Bethel Valley Church alumni
organization had been addressed by the board of directors. The Bethel Valley
Church alumni would like us to work with them to develop activities similar to
those of last year’s Wheat Alumni Association Homecoming. The Homecoming
activities included letters of appreciation from the White House, the Governor’s
office, several Tennessee Congressmen, and senior DOE officials. Last year’s
Homecoming also featured a special ceremony honoring the sacrifice of the Wheat
Alumni during the Manhattan Project.
John Clark asked if anyone at the meeting was interested in helping him to
archive his Jaycee scrapbooks on early Oak Ridge. Several people volunteered to
help him.
Emily Hunnicutt invited everyone to a January 20, 2007 birthday party for her
father, famous Oak Ridge photographer, Ed Westcott at the Midtown Community
Center from 2 to 4 PM. This is Ed’s 85th birthday.
Keith announced he will be traveling to Augusta, Georgia this evening to
participate in the “Southern Fried Flicks Film Festival”. His film, “The Clinton
12”, is entered in the festival documentary category. (Note- his film later won
first place in the documentary category)
Bill Wilcox introduced his former roommate (from 1943), Mr. George C. Warlick,
Jr., as the guest speaker for the evening. Mr. Warlick’s topic was “Building the
Town and Cemestos Homes in Oak Ridge”. Mr. Warlick spoke about his experiences
walking around early Oak Ridge and observing the early cemestos homes being
built. He moved here on June 27, 1943. Some of the points Mr. Warlick made:
1. The cemestos village included houses and dormitories.
2. East Village was planned to be a segregated community for African Americans.
The color scheme was gray and red. After the decision was made to have only
White people live in East Village; the color was changed to an institutional
green.
3. The bricklayers would come through an area to begin building the houses
first. Then the plumbers would come through and work on the same houses. Next
the carpenters would put roofs on all the houses, and lay hardwood floors from
one end of each house to the other.
4. Very advanced techniques were used in the construction. The roof decking
material used then is still in use today. Efficiency with construction was very
important as there was urgency in completing the houses as quickly as possible.
5. Shredded corn stalk was used for insulation.
6. The interior walls were not load bearing and could be moved without creating
structural problems.
7. The houses had a coal bin located on the outside for soft coal. Burning the
soft coal created lots of soot in the interior of the homes.
8. In 1943, the comment often heard, was that, from the time a new worker began
to be processed into their new job until they were completely through the
processing, a house would be started and completed for them to live in.
Minutes - ORHPA Membership Meeting – January 11, 2007 page 3
Jane Shelton, a member of the Oak Ridge Homecoming 1986 Committee commented on
the process used to get parts of Oak Ridge on the National Register of Historic
Places.
Bill Wilcox announced the guest speaker for the next ORHPA general membership
meeting on February 8th will be Mr. Edward W. “Ted” Lollis of Knoxville. His
topic will be “The Underappreciated Monuments of Oak Ridge and How They Could
Save the Day”. Mr. Lollis has many slide pictures of Oak Ridge.
ORHPA Vice-President, Steve Stow adjourned the meeting at 7:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Anne McBride
ORHPA Secretary
