Ridges Magazine - May, 2010

Table of Contents

Summer ’10 8 Chamber Welcome...................................................4 Welcome From Chuck Hope, Chamber Chairman

Here and Now...........................................................6 Let It Roll Remembering 9/11 Report Card Around Town............................................................8 A Cut Above Cooking With Care Health Notes............................................................9 Heart Healing MMC First in East Tennessee to Add New Heart Mapping System Innovation.............................................................10 High-Tech Teamwork

16

19 Voices of Oak Ridge................................................11 Waterfront Master Plan........................................12 Asking the Experts We the People.........................................................14 Y-12: National Security Meets Community Spirit

2 RIDGES | Spring ’10

18

Uncommon Knowledge..........................................16 Patricia Cornwell Calls Oak Ridge “A Secret Gem.” Young Professionals of Oak Ridge Jay & Jessica Brock of the Young Professionals of Oak Ridge Small Talk..............................................................18 A New Day for Bombers Baseball Atomic Kids Triathlon Index of Advertisers..............................................19

CommunityLink.com

production production manager director of publication design managing editor contributing writers

MATT PRICE AMANDA WHITE LAURA WILCOXEN BETSY ABERNATHY JUDY DIGREGORIO JAY NEHRKORN LAURA WILCOXEN REBECCA D. WILLIAMS

proofreader director of photography photography provided by web site creation & support director of media purchasing

CHRISTINA REESE KACEY WOLTERS LINDA RIPLEY JOSH CHANDLER DIANA VAUGHN

business development director of business development director of outside sales marketing specialist

GEORGE PRUDHOMME DEBBIE MOSS SHAWNA WILLIAMS

marketing consultant

GARY ROGERS

business development manager

BONNIE EBERS

customer service director customer service representative

KATHY RISLEY JUDITH SOMMER

advertising ad research

MARY KOPSHEVER AMY SCHWARTZKOPF

ad traffic ad design

CAROL SMITH JOSH MUELLER

administrative support administrative support

KATHY HAGENE CAROL SMITH

account support

Welcome to Oak Ridge T

hanks for your interest in Oak Ridge. As a longtime resident, small business owner, and community advocate, I am personally happy to welcome you to our special town.

My wife and I have raised two boys in Oak Ridge, and we grew up here as well.

The community atmosphere makes Oak Ridge the perfect place to raise a family.

Oak Ridge Schools has what students need to get the best education possible, regardless of the student’s challenges or achievements. Sports opportunities for kids are numerous and include everything from soccer (our family’s love) to rugby, tennis, swimming, rowing, football, baseball, volleyball, and much more. Cultural opportunities are unlimited and provide both children and adults with enrichment and a love of the arts.

And, from the business perspective, I can assure you that Oak Ridge is a great place for business. I started my business nearly 30 years ago and am grateful for the support of my loyal customers over the years. They are the reason I’ve been successful and my business has grown, recently moving into a new facility.

This year, I have the honor to serve as the Chairman of the Board for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. Our theme for 2010 is “The Future Looks Bright.”

Enjoy this issue of Ridges and discover why our future is bright. Then, join us and be a part of one of the best towns in America.

TERRI AHNER TRICIA CANNEDY

human resources assistant mailroom technician

TERESA CRAIG MELINDA BOWLIN

information technology publishing systems specialist

CHRISTOPHER MILLER

executive leadership chairman and founder

CRAIG WILLIAMS

chief financial officer

RHONDA HARSY

ABOUT This magazine is published by CommunityLink and distributed through The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. For advertising information or questions or comments about this book, contact CommunityLink at 800-455-5600 or by e-mail at info@CommunityLink.com.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, Telephone 865-483-1321, Fax 865-483-1678, www.oakridgechamber.org

FOR INFORMATION

© 2010 Craig Williams Creative, Inc., 4742 Holts Prairie Road, Post Office Box 306, Pinckneyville, IL 62274-0306, 618-357-8653. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher.

4 RIDGES | Spring ’10

Charles J. Hope, Jr.

chambER welCoMe

Calendar of Events Secret City Festival

June 18 & 19 secretcityfestival.com

Lavender Festival

Chuck Hope (and Buster)

By Jay Nehrkorn

Chuck and Buster jump in with all six feet to support their community “Life has a funny way of taking twists and turns,” Chuck Hope began, acknowledging the irony as he explained how he came to own Chuck’s Car Care. “My car was broken down, and my buddy and I were riding motorcycles to school.”

Hope, who was considering architecture, was working his way through junior college when an accident on the aforementioned motorcycle left him with a broken foot that sidelined his schooling. While still on the mend, he was passing time at his father’s business when the dejected owner of the filling station next door walked in and announced he would sell the place for a plug nickel.

“I was a smart-aleck 19-year-old,” Hope continued, “and I said, ‘I’ve got 55 cents, what would that get me?’”

Joking aside, Hope jumped in with both feet — including the broken one — buying the filling station and marrying his high school sweetheart, Maryjeane, that same year. In the years that followed, he and Maryjeane raised two sons and transformed that “plug nickel filling station” into a thriving auto repair business.

Recognizing how the community had supported his endeavors, Hope started getting involved in civic activities. He volunteered to serve on the city’s Beer Permit Board and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. He is also active in the

local Rotary and in church activities, and his involvement with the Chamber of Commerce has led to his being elected chairman for 2010.

“I really tried to put as much into the Chamber as I could and get as much out of it as possible. As a result, I’ve really blossomed, and my business opportunities have increased.”

Hope is well known within the community, but the real celebrity of Chuck’s Car Care is his constant companion, Buster — a 5-year-old boxer that the family raised from a pup.

“Where I’m at, he’s at,” Hope said. “You couldn’t ask for a better dog around people; he thinks he’s a four-legged person.”

While he’s not currently a member of any civic organizations, Buster is a philanthropist at heart and recently had Hope help him deliver a truckload of dog food for a Humane Society event. He’s also a dedicated business-dog, and the technicians at Chuck’s Car Care often call to see if Buster can come to the shop even when Hope is out of town.

“The other employees all aspire to reach Buster’s level of upper management,” Hope said laughingly. “I think it has something to do with his getting three days off each week and taking naps at work whenever he wants to.”

June 19 jslavenderfestival.yolasite.com

Oak Ridge Playhouse Productions The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee June 11–27

The Drowsy Chaperone July 23–August 8

Doubt September 10–26

Emperor’s New Clothes October 9 & 10

Scrooge November 25–December 5

Oak Ridge Community Band Summer Concerts

7 p.m. in Bissell Park July 4, August 1, September 6

Oak Ridge Rowing US Rowing Club Nationals July 14–18

www.oakridgechamber.org 5

hERE anD now

Let It Roll

Bike enthusiasts choose Oak Ridge for road races

By Betsy Abernathy

T

he Oak Ridge Velo Classic Annual Bike Race, held for the first time in 2008, is what is known in the cycling world as an omnium — a competitive cycling event in which racers, grouped into various gender and age categories, participate in three different kinds of races.

Participation in the Oak Ridge Velo Classic doubled in 2009, with more than 400 racers from around the state as well as other parts of the country. The Tennessee Bike Racing Association selected the road race portion of the omnium to be the state championship race for 2009.

Oak Ridge businessman and recreational cyclist Lou Rabinowitz, who created the Oak Ridge Velo Classic with help and support from the Knox Velo Cycling Club, is “really happy with the way things are going.”

“I’m not so much a promoter of a bicycle race as a promoter of Oak Ridge,” Rabinowitz said. “We have a lot of potential here to support athletic events like rowing, running, and bicycle racing. We have a receptive business community that supports it.”

Robbie Kidd of Knox Velo called Oak Ridge “the most accommodating of any municipality we’ve worked in.”

The Haw Ridge Mountain Bike Race, also in its second year, is a different kind of bicycle race — a primarily single-track mountain trail. Haw Ridge is a mecca for mountain bikers, says Knox Velo and race promoter John Rhyne, and this challenging course, with climbs, downhills, and plenty of rocks, roots, and dirt, attracted racers from all over Tennessee.

“We have some of the best venues in the country for bike racing,” notes Kidd.

As for Rabinowitz, he’s dreaming big: “Hopefully, within five years we can have a national championship here.”

Remembering

9/11

ORHS memorial reminds that “our way of life cannot be taken for granted”

By Judy DiGregorio

N

ear the back entrance of Oak Ridge High School stands a stark sculpture of metal and granite. It includes a massive steel beam from Ground Zero of the fallen World Trade Center. The day after the ORHS Student Council watched footage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, they decided to create a memorial as a tangible reminder of that day.

With guidance from faculty advisor Ken Senter, the students contacted then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, requesting pieces of steel for the memorial. The students also contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and commissioned some steel for the project.

In addition, they wrote to all 50 state legislatures, urging each to put up a plaque at their state capitol in memory of 9/11. This 6 RIDGES | Spring ’10

part of the project proved more difficult to accomplish than they anticipated. As of today, only three states have actually put up plaques: Wyoming, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Over 100 students have worked on the 9/11 project, including students in welding and graphic arts classes at ORHS. The first memorial was dedicated in 2002 but temporarily removed during the ORHS remodeling. The new memorial was rededicated on September 11, 2009. Each September 11, student council members plan to lay a wreath at the memorial and have a moment of silence at the time the first plane hit the first tower.

“This memorial,” declared Senter, “is a sobering reminder that our way of life cannot be taken for granted.”

Report Card

hERE anD now

What’s Happening at Oak Ridge Schools

Glenwood Elementary School

• A Glenwood Elementary fourth grade student’s painting was accepted into the annual Dogwood Festival Spring Art Show. This is the first time elementary-level artwork has been voted into the show.

Linden Elementary

• Linden teacher Justin Croft was named the Pilot Club Anderson County Special Ed Teacher of the Year as well as being named the Pilot Club Tennessee Teacher of the Year.

Willow Brook Elementary School

• Willow Brook students entered the international CalcuDoku Contest. Notable individual finishers included three students among the Top 100 in the nation; six students among the Top 5 in the nation; and five students among the Top 10 in the nation.

Woodland Elementary

• The Woodland Chess Club continues the tradition of winning. In the Spring 2010 Region 1 competition, every Woodland team either tied for or won first place in each section they competed in and qualified for the State Team Championship!

Jefferson Middle School

• JMS Students get to the HEART of the matter! On February 3 and 4, Jefferson Middle School students helped children with special heart problems by participating in Hoops for Heart. They raised $1,501 for research.

• A JMS student was recently been promoted to Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force Auxiliary, Oak Ridge Composite Squadron.

Robertsville Middle School

• RMS Rams Future Lego League (FLL) iTeam competed in the Tennessee FLL State Championship Tournament. From a field of 43 teams, RMS received a first place trophy for Robot Performance and Robot Design.

• The RMS MATHCOUNTS Team placed second in the regional competition. One student qualified to go to state as an individual.

• A RMS student won the State Geography Bee.

Oak Ridge High School

• Three ORHS students achieved perfect scores on the ACT test.

• The varsity team qualified for and will compete in the NAQT National Scholars’ Bowl competition in Chicago.

• Five ORHS students qualified and will represent Tennessee at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C. • Mr. Jeffrey Hankins, ORHS teacher, completed a rewrite of the state welding curriculum in January. This was done individually, as opposed to the other state programs, which were done by committees. No changes were made to the curriculum as submitted.

Oak Ridge Schools Artists Make Their Marks

Students from Oak Ridge High School, Jefferson Middle School, and Robertsville Middle School had their artwork on display in the main galleries of the Knoxville Museum of Art through January 2010. The works were chosen as part of the East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition, a show that recognizes excellence in middle and high school student art. According to Jim Dodson, Jefferson Middle School art teacher and the state’s student art exhibition coordinator, the program has raised over $1 million in college scholarships during that time for high school students. Close to a thousand works of art were submitted by 74 teachers from across East Tennessee. Only a third of the works submitted were selected to hang in the museum. Of the 31 Oak Ridge student pieces accepted into the show, 15 received awards. Oak Ridge High School Art Teachers Anna Wakefield and Cheryl Burchett are also on the planning committee for the East Tennessee Regional Exhibition.

For more information about Oak Ridge Schools, please visit www.ortn.edu.

www.oakridgechamber.org 7

aRoUnD town

A Cut Above I J & M’s Butcher Shop

By Rebecca D. Williams

f you think the days of independent butcher shops are gone, stroll over to Jefferson Circle and visit J & M’s Butcher Shop, a throwback to the days when the butcher knew just how you liked your steak and an old-fashioned hot dog cart stood out front.

Celebrating three years in business this spring, John Wallace is the “J” in J & M’s. His son Matthew, 12, is the “M” and serves the hot dogs.

“He runs his hot dog wagon on Saturdays in front of the store, weather permitting, and inside when the weather’s bad. He gets his spending money that way,” said John Wallace. John’s wife Vicky may not be on the sign, but she’s involved in the business as well.

Wallace has always been a butcher, working for a grocery chain that went out of business several years ago.

“When you’re 59 years old, you’re going to start on the bottom,” he said. “I just decided, why not open my own store? I’ve spent the last 40 years in the meat business.”

J & M’s Butcher Shop’s meats are fresh, cut daily, and can be packaged any way you like. They’re never injected with fillers or solutions. Fresh seafood (never frozen) is available Fridays and Saturdays.

“It’s just to give people of Oak Ridge a different choice, and to bring back things the way they were when you were young,” he said, “when you didn’t have to doctor your meat to make it taste good.”

Wallace’s beef is choice-grade, grain-fed Angus. The chicken and pork are all natural, with no added antibiotics, steroids, or solutions. If you don’t see meat in the cut you want, Wallace will create a custom order.

“We can custom-cut meat for people,” he said. “We have a highquality, good selection, and you can always get friendly service.”

Ironically, the road construction on the nearby Oak Ridge Turnpike has in some ways contributed to an increase in business, Wallace said.

“Some people have detoured around and seen us for the first time.”

J & M’s Butcher Shop is located at 42 North Jefferson Circle and is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., every day except Sunday. There is always a butcher on duty. Call 865-483-9228.

8 RIDGES | Spring ’10

Cooking With Care Connie’s Naturally Gourmet

By Rebecca D. Williams

F

rom one job to another, Connie Valedon has taken her caregiving instincts with her.

In the winter of 2008, Valedon left her job and opened Connie’s Natural Gourmet, a gourmet and natural food store, at 1143 Oak Ridge Turnpike, next to Firehouse Subs.

“I was in the medical field for 25 years,” said Valedon, who conducted ultrasound tests and monitoring on brain and spinal patients. “I did that forever, and I have this caregiver instinct that will never go away. I still find a need to do that for people. I think it’s just in my blood.”

Valedon, a self-taught cook, has patterned the store in part off a favorite gourmet shop in Nashville. She has gathered together in her shop an eclectic collection of the things she loves — gourmet oils and spices; ethnic ingredients like Serrano ham and Cherizo sausage; organic butters; kitchen tools; gourmet baby and pet foods; and artwork by local potters.

After just a year of business, she has a steady stream of regulars. “It’s really been picking up,” said Valedon. “I’m seeing both regulars and new faces every day.”

She also offers a luncheon menu with fresh soups and salads, cakes, pies, and private catering. But perhaps the unique niche Connie’s Naturally Gourmet offers is for those customers who need gluten-free or allergen-free foods. She offers an entire corner dedicated to specialty mixes, sauces, and even gluten-free prepared foods. And every Thursday she cooks up a gluten-free lunch.

“I just started when I heard how difficult it was for these folks to go out to eat and to know they won’t get sick,” Valedon said.

“They know they can come here and get something good.”

Heart Healing

hEalTh notes

ORNL’s Dr. Culiat

pioneers gene therapy for damaged hearts

By Rebecca D. Williams

L

ike most basic science, genetic research is slow, painstaking work. But at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Dr. Cymbeline “Bem” Culiat is closer than ever to seeing a practical application for the genetic research she has conducted for more than eight years. She hopes someday this research will lead to gene therapies for patients who have experienced damaged heart tissue from heart attacks or damaged tissue from wounds.

“We wouldn’t be focusing our energies and resources on this unless we saw the potential for practical application,” Culiat said.

The research has focused on a gene called NellOne, which secretes a protein that is key in the formation of tissues and organs. The protein is essential for the proper formation of the heart’s extracellular matrix, which imparts strength, flexibility, and the correct contractions for the heart muscle. The protein is also part of a pathway that helps cells signal one another for growth and maturation.

“What we’re researching is the ability to If NellOne is successful in use this pathway to form new tissue after producing therapeutics that injury, such as heart tissue or in wounds,” can restore muscle mass and said Culiat.

Currently, there are no highly effective, significantly improve heart permanent treatments for the restoration function — perhaps without of heart muscle cells and function damaged the need for daily drug by heart attacks, which affect some treatment — it would be a 770,000 Americans each year, according to tremendous breakthrough. the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If NellOne is successful in producing therapeutics that can restore muscle mass and significantly improve heart function — perhaps without the need for daily drug treatment — it would be a tremendous breakthrough.

“We have had some encouraging data with larger groups of animals in randomized, blinded, skeletal-muscle wound-healing experiments,” Culiat said, while cautioning that human experiments are still years away.

The basic research for this project was done primarily in the legendary “mouse house” at the Oak Ridge National Lab, which for six decades provided a steady supply of germfree, mutant mice to study human disease. The mouse house closed last year, as the lab is shifting its focus to systems biology research on plants and microbes aimed at addressing the nation’s energy, environment, and climate issues.

Culiat retired from ORNL, but her work continues through NellOne Therapeutics, Inc., a spin-off “virtual” company pioneered by Battelle Ventures to explore practical applications for her research. She is the senior scientific consultant, and the company holds all the licenses for NellOne intellectual property from ORNL. Today much of the experimentation is being done at The Jackson Laboratory-West in Sacramento, Calif., but Culiat remains in Oak Ridge, designing and analyzing those experiments.

Dr. Greg Olsovsky, M.D.

MMC First in East Tennessee to Add New Heart Mapping System Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge has become the first hospital in East Tennessee to use the new EnSite Velocity™ Cardiac Mapping System.

The system incorporates technological advances that help physicians visualize and guide treatments for abnormal heart rhythms.

Certain heart rhythm disorders are caused by small areas of abnormal heart tissue that interrupt the heart’s normal electrical signals. To diagnose and treat these conditions, the physician must know exactly where the abnormal tissue is located. With cardiac mapping, he or she inserts several long, flexible tubes with wires — called electrode catheters — into the patient’s heart.

These catheters track or stimulate the heart’s signals and help the physician pinpoint the problem areas.

“By creating a highly detailed, threedimensional model of the patient’s heart, the system enables physicians to locate the source of the problem and determine a treatment strategy more quickly,” said triple-boarded cardiologist Greg Olsovsky, M.D., medical director of Methodist’s new electrophysiology (EP) services.

Methodist offers a full range of heart-related care and services, including the area’s first chest pain center, a powerful 64-slice CT that can capture images of the heart in just five heartbeats, and a da Vinci® surgical robotics system.MMC’s cardiac quality outcomes are recognized nationally and in many areas rank better than Top 100 benchmark heart hospitals. To learn more about these services, go online to www.mmcoakridge.com. www.oakridgechamber.org 9

innoVation

Photo provided by Pro2Serve

High-Tech Teamwork New Science & Technology Park at ORNL is the first of its kind

By Jay Nehrkorn

I

n an effort to accelerate the transition of Oak Ridge National Laboratory research to the commercial marketplace, ORNL and the Oak Ridge community have done something groundbreaking — both figuratively and literally. The ongoing development of the new 30-acre Oak Ridge Science & Technology Park at ORNL has created the nation’s first private research park located directly on the campus of a National Laboratory. When fully completed, the new park will provide approximately 350,000 square feet of office and laboratory space for private companies doing research with ORNL. “The value proposition is proximity,” said Tom Rogers, director of industrial partnerships at ORNL. “Companies large and small can actually locate right here on the campus while doing collaborative research. The give and take in that environment is tremendous.”

Phase 1 of the park encompasses 12 acres and includes two anchor facilities.

10 RIDGES | Spring ’10

One of these anchors is the Halcyon Commercialization Center, home to 12 different companies ranging anywhere from startups trying to commercialize ORNL technologies to large companies doing ongoing research with ORNL. The other anchor is the newly built, 115,000-squarefoot Pro2Serve National Energy Security Center. Pro2Serve, which provides infrastructure engineering services in support of national security, was the first to build within the new park. Pro2Serve’s founder, Dr. Barry Goss, sees potential for this move to benefit not only his company, but ORNL and the community as well.

“Working closely with ORNL is vital to Pro2Serve’s future,” he said. “Also, attracting the high-end operations of additional technology-based companies to work side-by-side with ORNL is important to DOE and the Oak Ridge community.

It takes someone who is willing to take a chance, step out, and be the first for a new venture like this. We believe that

Pro2Serve’s knowledge of DOE processes and systems has allowed us to help clear the way for other companies to come in and be valuable contributors to the region’s economic future.”

Creation of the S&T Park was a collaborative effort of entities both public and private. Rogers stated that the community came together under the leadership of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET) and, with help from the local, state, and federal government, invested $2 million in infrastructure to get Phase 1 completed.

He also said that ORNL worked closely with the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership throughout the process. Dr. Goss of Pro2Serve echoed that the new park was a team effort.

“DOE, CROET, UT/Battelle, and the local community have worked tirelessly with us to make the Science & Technology Park a reality,” he said. “We feel very fortunate.”

Voices of Oak Ridge

ause this idge bec R k a O living in tion and es educa “ We like lu a v t a ing th interest munity n a m o h c c a u s is ge has . We Oak Rid g future in is m o family. r sap as well a ere.” histor y man h om e h t a l e da Hill e f n y i l d e a e lr M a on &

R

of s e c i o V e g d i R k Oa

“ We ha immigrate ve lived here for 2 0 opportun d from the Philipp years since Julio ities to w chosen to ork and li ines. Despite a nu and I m b er o f g ve elsewh re m a in h Oak Ridg e commu ere because we ha ere in the U.S., we reat nity. I fee v in Oak Rid l ver y priv e rooted deeply in have ge ileged to th “I love th . work and e the wond e diversity of pe li ve e Oak Ridg rful friends that wople from all over th e — it’s a e children. friendly c have. I really like e world and T our home he community is ommunity, a great the people in the bigge here.” st reason place to raise Dr. Cym we have m ade beline

Culiat, Husban d Julio, and Son Caleb

www.oakridgechamber.org 11

WaTERfRonT MasteR Plan

Asking the Experts City leaders relied on Oak Ridgers to design new waterfront plan By Jay Nehrkorn

I

n March 2008, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association’s contract to manage Oak Ridge Marina expired, and management of the area returned to the city government.

As city officials considered the future of the marina, they concluded that the best way to understand how this public property could best serve the community was to ask the experts — the citizens of Oak Ridge themselves. After a long dialog with the general public and other major stakeholders, city planners have endorsed a conceptual development plan that extends from Elza Gate Park to Rivers Run Boulevard and that will give everyone a variety of new ways to enjoy the Melton Lake waterfront.

12 RIDGES | Spring ’10

Waterfront Master Plan

The first of three public hearings about the waterfront took place in October 2008.

Residents were given the opportunity to answer key questions about land use and recreational opportunities, compatibility issues, impact to the surrounding area, and potential architectural features. Responses were then categorized as passive recreation, active recreation, commercial use, and support.

A second hearing was held in March 2009, in which the public was invited to create sub-groups to suggest locations and set priorities for items in each category.

Even more feedback was solicited at the Earth Day and Secret City festivals. The Planning Commission brought all of this input together to create a final draft of the plan for presentation to the public at a forum in August 2009.

“We had really good participation throughout the process,” said Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin.

“Ultimately, we got a long list of improvements that our own residents wanted to see and that were previously lacking at the waterfront.”

Details of the plan include an elevated boardwalk leading to a pier, an arched pedestrian bridge connecting the peninsulas on either side of the marina entrance, and an amphitheater area with flexible seating near the water.

Melton Lake is already a premier venue for rowing competitions, and consideration of how future development in the area might affect that component of the water­ front have been at the forefront throughout

the planning process. Oak Ridge Director of Recreation and Parks Josh Collins pointed out that the development plan is designed to both improve the park and continue to support rowing.

“The city believes that the area is underutilized and is excited about having an opportunity to draw residents and visitors to the waterfront,” he explained. “If the waterfront is developed in accordance with the proposed plan, the city will have an enhanced recreational venue for concerts, family activities, and dining, as well as expanded rowing opportunities.”

Details of the plan include an elevated boardwalk leading to a pier, an arched pedestrian bridge connecting the peninsulas on either side of the marina entrance, and an amphitheater area with flexible seating near the water. These additions not only increase access and create an outdoor concert facility, but also improve visibility of the rowing course.

“The venue being designed to support rowing events is really good. I think this is going to make it much nicer for visitors and spectators,” said Allen Eubanks of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. Eubanks also noted that the plan makes room for a much-needed expansion to ORRA’s space within the boathouse facility, which will enhance its service to both competitors and everyday rowers.

Excavation for the addition of an eighth lane to the rowing course is also planned and awaiting funding.

Beyond boating and rowing activities, the plan also takes steps to increase other recreational and educational opportunities: • The underutilized Elza Gate Park will receive a historical interpretive area that points out its significance as the

primary gated entrance to the city during the then-secret, now-famous Manhattan Project.

• The park’s natural areas will be more accessible through the establishment of new nature trails, picnic facilities, and an additional trailhead for the Melton Lake Greenway.

• Near the marina, a large pavilion, equipment rentals, and a play area with a splash pad will be added.

• In the southeast portion of the developed area, near Union Valley Road, improvements would enhance a popular fishing spot and give it a park atmosphere.

Projects to support the developing waterfront will include both infrastructure and aesthetic improvements. Many areas will receive new landscaping, and an organic architectural theme will be applied to all of the improvements. New benches, artistic sculptures, and new or improved restroom facilities will be added, as will a roundabout and more pedestrian crossings to improve safety.

The Waterfront Master Plan was endorsed by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission and approved by the Oak Ridge City Council in 2009. Baldwin points out that the city will take a fiscally responsible approach to completing the plan that includes capital budget project money, corporate partnerships with the community, and government grants. This approach will necessitate a piece-by-piece implementation that may take many years to complete, but the transformation of the waterfront will ultimately be something that all of Oak Ridge’s residents can be proud of. And they should be proud — after all, they helped to plan it.

www.oakridgechamber.org 13

We The People

Y-12:

National Security Meets Community Spirit B&W Y-12 National Security Complex sponsors Volunteer Day

By Jay Nehrkorn

A

s part of the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Y-12 National Security Complex plays a critical role in both national security and government technology partnerships.

While serving the country is their primary task, B&W Y-12 employees still take time out to serve the community during their annual Volunteer Day. From landscaping and maintenance projects to building comfort packages for the Red Cross, the workers of Y-12 make the most of their opportunity to give back and make Oak Ridge a better place to live.

One of the causes embraced in the 2009 campaign was the East Tennessee chapter of Newborns in Need, an organization that provides clothing and other items for premature babies, essential baby items for economically disadvantaged families, and

14 RIDGES | Spring ’10

bereavement/burial layettes for infants. A total of 21 volunteers knitted 19 hats and stuffed 70 toy bears for Newborns in Need.

Y-12 also participated in collecting donations for the chapter’s baby shower campaign, which distributes financial help through area health organizations to the families of infants in need.

Over 500 volunteers from Y-12 gave of their time, energy, and talents to help 45 nonprofit agencies during the Volunteer Day 2009 event, which took place over the first two days of May. B&W Y-12 President and General Manager Darrel Kohlhorst visits and participates at several agencies each year, and he is already looking forward to Volunteer Day 2010.

“We expect to do even more in 2010,” he said. “More volunteers at more agencies.”

Uncommon knowledge

Patricia Cornwell Calls Oak Ridge “A Secret Gem.” Bestselling author finds inspiration and solutions in East Tennessee

By Jay Nehrkorn

A

mong their many claims to fame, both Oak Ridge and the University of Tennessee can boast that they provide inspiration to a major international bestselling author. Award-winning author and noted forensics consultant Patricia Cornwell has a history of visiting the East Tennessee scientific community to do research for her books, and many of the tools and techniques she has observed in Oak Ridge have been incorporated into her novels about fictional forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta. Cornwell says that she goes into her research with questions rather than presuppositions, and facilities like Y-12 and ORNL feed her “look and see” creative process.

“Forensic science is any science that becomes pertinent to a criminal case,” she explained in a recent phone interview. “To me, Oak Ridge is like a candy store. Show me a science that I didn’t understand before and my imagination will run wild thinking about how Scarpetta might use it to solve a crime.”

Cornwell’s references to East Tennessee’s crime-fighting facilities began in 1994 with her novel The Body Farm, which used UT’s Anthropological Research Facility as the inspiration for a facility visited 16 RIDGES | Spring ’10

by Scarpetta. The writer later took a particular interest in the Large ChamberScanning Electron Microscope she observed during a visit to Y-12. The LC-SEM made appearances in Cornwell’s Book of the Dead in 2007 and Scarpetta in 2008. She also used this amazing tool to continue her research into the infamous Jack the Ripper case during revisions to her nonfiction work Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed.

“What an instrument!” Cornwell says of the LC-SEM. “I think it’s one of the coolest things ever, and people haven’t even begun to understand what it’s capable of helping us accomplish. The medical and scientific potential is enormous.”

In her latest novel, The Scarpetta Factor, Cornwell describes Dr. Kay Scarpetta testing an electronic device that looks like a metal detector, but which actually detects the chemical signature of decomposing human bodies in clandestine graves. Known as the “Labrador,” this nonfiction device was developed at ORNL by Dr. Arpad Vass and is designed to do the same job as a cadaver dog. Cornwell’s interest in the device was two-fold.

“Cadaver dogs are very difficult to train, and they aren’t always readily accessible to

police in the field. This device can be,” she explained. “Also, a lot of people don’t know this, but many of the cadaver dogs used at ground zero after 9/11 later died of cancer because of what they ingested or inhaled at the site. I’m an animal lover, and I think anything that could help to avoid unsafe exposure for the dogs is really a good thing.”

Beyond writing, Cornwell is also a respected member of the forensic science academic community, and she is often eager to offer suggestions for solving complex problems. In cases such as the research into the ill-fated Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, the investigation of the Virginia Tech shootings, and the archeological study of the original Jamestown settlement, she got involved and put investigators together with scientists at Oak Ridge and UT who could help.

“I don’t just use it in my books, I also pass it along to real people in the field. If there’s helpful science that people don’t have a handle on, I refer them to Oak Ridge and Y-12,” she said.

“It’s a secret gem hidden in the hills of Tennessee, and a lot of people have no idea what’s there.”

Uncommon Knowledge

Photo provided by B&W Y-12

Young Professionals of Oak Ridge The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce engages the next generation of community leaders By Jay Nehrkorn

I

n the summer of 2009, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce officially kicked off a new organization to encourage professionals under the age of 45 to become more active in community leadership. Young Professionals of Oak Ridge, formed through a partnership between the Chamber and the East Tennessee Economic Council, is now actively pursuing the goal of making a significant impact on the revitalization of the city through social activities, political involvement, community outreach, and professional development.

For months prior to the official launch of the organization, group leaders Betsy Prine of ATC-Nuclear and Stan Mitchell of The Oak Ridge Observer had been meeting with potential members in an effort to establish general goals and an identity for the group.

Prine said that putting the organization together from scratch wasn’t easy, but the response and the group’s continual gains in recognition and focus are now making the hard work worthwhile.

“We had a fantastic turn out and lots of support from leaders in the Oak Ridge community,” she said of the group’s first official meeting, which took place on July 21, 2009. “Since then, we have been steadily gaining momentum, getting organized, and determining direction for our group. I usually meet someone new at every meeting, and it’s exciting to look around the room and see how far we’ve come.”

Young Professionals currently meets twice each month. While the organization is still in its early stages, Mitchell finds members are eager to get started and sees tremendous potential.

“I’m both surprised and inspired by the enthusiasm and drive of our new Young Professionals group,” he said. “Not even a year old, we as a group are bonding well and already beginning to engage in acts of community service and efforts to help better Oak Ridge. I’m honored to be associated with this great group of people and proud to call them my friends, and I can’t wait to see what kind of impact we have on Oak Ridge in the years to come.”

For more information about the Young Professionals of Oak Ridge, call the Chamber at 865-483-1321, visit them on Facebook at Young Professionals of Oak Ridge, or follow them on Twitter at YPofOak Ridge.

Jay & Jessica Brock of the Young Professionals of Oak Ridge · How did you all meet?

We officially met about 12 years ago through mutual friends and family. However, we began our relationship in 2004 while Jay was the program director at the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge and I was a volunteer cheerleading coach. ·How long have you been married?

We will have been married for three wonderful years on June 9. · Thoughts on being born and raised in Oak Ridge?

We both are proud to have been born and raised in Oak Ridge.

That is why, when searching for a home, we knew this is exactly where we wanted to be. Our entire families are here or within the region. · What do you like best about our city?

We love the history, the sense of community, and the tradition of the town. It has a uniqueness all its own in East Tennessee. · What things can we do to make it a better place to live?

Social activities for young families, additional retail/restaurants, and more newer entry level/affordable housing. · What are both of your professions?

Jay is a Leaders Conference qualifying financial services representative for MetLife, and Jessica is a facility maintenance manager for Pilot Travel Centers LLC. Jay has been with MetLife for five years, and Jessica has been with Pilot for two. · Talk about your house and why you love it.

We love our neighbors, the location/proximity to family and friends, and the history of the World War II era homes. We have a mature back yard surrounded by a beautiful greenbelt and plenty of space to expand our new family, which includes our first child, due this July. We are busy getting the nursery ready and things in line for our new addition. · How has YPOR impacted you and Oak Ridge?

It has allowed us to participate in the mission of revitalizing Oak Ridge while forming new relationships with peers. It has opened our eyes to the potential that this city currently has untapped. · What potential do you think the group has?

We believe the group will develop a voice over time that will shape the future of our community. We will be able to provide a young leadership presence that needs to be heard. We believe future City Council members, school board members, or a mayor will eventually come from this up and coming group. www.oakridgechamber.org 17

Small talk

A New Day for Bombers Baseball

By Jay Nehrkorn

W

hen local historian and writer D. Ray Smith began researching Oak Ridge Bombers baseball for his weekly “Historically Speaking” column in The Oak Ridger, he had no idea that he would end up writing a series of columns about not just one, but two former teams by that name. Meanwhile, two modern youth teams with a common link to the Bombers of the past were taking the field under that same name to honor the town’s baseball heritage. In the end, the revival of interest in Bombers baseball is both carrying on a baseball tradition and highlighting how some old traditions have been left behind.

For Smith, the story began with a look back at the Class D professional baseball Bombers franchise that came to Oak Ridge in the spring of 1948 and left before completing its first season. From the beginning, the team was controversial in the press and struggled to sell tickets as it competed with a government-subsidized amateur league that was both popular and free for spectators. The team relocated to Hazard, Ky., midway through its inaugural season, and so ended the story of the Oak Ridge Bombers — or so Smith thought.

Thanks to a former player named Larry Gipson, Smith was then introduced to yet another historical Oak Ridge Bombers team — a semi-pro team of AfricanAmerican players who were excluded from

playing on the all-white professional teams.

This Bombers team was started by Robert Lee, who was both the team’s manager and catcher, and it lasted from the 1940s to the 1960s — a tremendous feat considering the difficulties they must have endured.

Not only did this team last, they won most of their games, even though the players held down jobs during the week and had virtually no time for practice. In his August 4, 2009, column, Smith quotes former player and manager James Capshaw as saying, “we whupped them everywhere we went” — including a certain all-white professional team in Hazard, Ky. The Bombers moniker returned to Oak Ridge baseball in the summer of 2009 when two youth teams, each unaware of the other, chose the name in honor of the town’s baseball heritage. Incidentally, both of these teams have a connection to the African-American semi-pro team of old through Marcus Caldwell, the greatgrandson of Robert Lee. One of the team’s coaches, Jim Ownby, said it was Caldwell who helped his team of 9- and 10-year-olds understand the historical significance of the Oak Ridge Bombers, and they took that name for their team as a result. Meanwhile, Jeff Huckaby, an Oak Ridge native and former teammate of Caldwell’s from a collegiate summer league team, was familiar with the stories of the historical teams and named his team of 7- and 8-year-olds

Will iam

Caps

haw

, Sr. “The Atomic City Bombers” accordingly.

“I wanted something that tied back to the community,” Huckaby said. “The kids couldn’t believe that there used to be a team like the Smokies — a Cubs minor league team — here in Oak Ridge. They thought it was really neat.”

Unlike the short-lived professional team that moved away before completing a season, these new Bombers teams intend to stick around. Both teams had winning records in 2009, and both coaches say they will keep the Bombers name for the teams henceforth. Huckaby wants to spread the use of the name to include teams across all age brackets, and he is trying to expand the use of sponsorships like those he secured for his team last season so that all children have the opportunity to participate regardless of their financial status.

So the Bombers are alive and well in Oak Ridge once again, although this new generation enjoys a profound difference from their predecessors: while the teams of the past were segregated, today’s Bombers all play together. With the days of exclusion left behind, you could say that in some ways Bombers baseball is more than just back — it’s better than ever.

Special thanks to D. Ray Smith for a great series of articles and for helping us make the connections.

Rufus E

. Sheph

18 RIDGES | Spring ’10

Photo provided by Ray Smith

erd, “Sh

ep”

The Oak Ridge Bombers featuring front row, left to right, Robert Lee, Clarence Epps, Charles E. Boyd, Leon Hardin, James Walker, Robert Gallaher, Charles Curd; back row, left to right, A. J.Hardin, Ronnie G. Graham, Marvin Burum, Homer Jackson, Miller Weaver, and James Capshaw; Bat boy, Michael Hall — Note the “M” on two shirts stands for 1st Methodist Church team.

Atomic Kids Triathlon

Small talk Wesley Robinson, 12, son of Will and Wendy Robinson of oak Ridge, competes in the 2009 atomic Kids Triathlon sponsored by the oak Ridge Track club.

W

By Rebecca D. Williams

esley Robinson of Oak Ridge is well known on the Jefferson Middle School track as a fierce competitor in every race. But in one city event, Wesley is still vying for top honors — the Atomic Kids Triathlon. Sponsored every July by the Oak Ridge Track Club, the triathlon invites children ages 7 to 14 to compete in a back-to-back 200-meter swim, two-mile bike ride, and one-mile run.

“The prizes are good and they have some good snacks, too,” said Wesley, 12. “I’ve gotten second two years in a row. And (the winners) were both 14.”

Wesley first attempted the race in the summer of 2008 without training for it, he said, finishing 24 seconds behind the leader. In 2009, however, he decided to train with some swimming practice, and he shaved more than a minute off his total time, for a finish of 18:36.

“Swimming is the one thing that will make you lose time, more than anything,” explained Wesley, who joined the Briarcliff Community Club Pool’s summer swim team in the weeks before the race.

The Atomic Kids Triathlon is organized by the Oak Ridge Track Club each year and is made possible in part by the Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, which offers one of the biggest city pools in the Southeast. Just one lap up and back in the pool is 200 meters, so the venue can handle a large group of competitors. The race had 65 children competing in 2009.

“It’s a good race to get kids involved in the sport,” said Dorn Kile, vice president of the club and the race organizer. “The reason I started it is I had been doing triathlons for 20 years, and there was nothing like that for kids. I wanted to help them realize it’s doable.

It’s just a great cross-training sport.”

The Oak Ridge Track Club organizes, sponsors, and helps with running events, track and field events, and triathlons throughout the year. These include the non-competitive Resolution Run, the Norris Dam Challenge 12K, and the Oak Ridge Half Marathon for adults. For children there’s the Kids Count 5K Run/2 Mile Walk and the Jake Break 4 Kids Expo Steeplechase. The club also supports the Knoxville Track Club’s summer track program for children The Oak Ridge Track Club was organized to promote running and fitness and to promote the idea that running, fitness, and good health are attainable for people of all ages and abilities.

Oak Ridge Track Club President Ralph Arcangeli can be reached at 865-482-5211.

Index of Advertisers Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group .........................15 City of Oak Ridge......................................................................1 Cornerstone Bookkeeping Services .........................................5 Corporate Quarters ........................................Inside Front Cover East Tennessee Personal Care Service ....................................7 Emory Valley Corporation .......................................................10 Endoscopy Center of Oak Ridge, LLC ......................................3 Energy Solutions.....................................................................15 The Estates of Oak Ridge .......................................................14 J & M’s Butcher Shop ..............................................................7

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge .... Outside Back Cover NHC Healthcare ......................................................................11 Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau .................................4 Oak Ridge Gastroenterology Associates ....... Inside Back Cover ORNL Federal Credit Union.......................................................7 Rarity Ridge ............................................................................20 St. Mary’s School....................................................................11 Staybridge Suites ...................................................................10 Weatherford Mortuary ...........................................................14 Y-12 Federal Credit Union ........................................................1 www.oakridgechamber.org 19

Fax: (865) 483-5957

Oak Ridge GASTROENTEROLOGY ASSOCIATES E-mail Us: orga@mindspring.com E-mail Us: Visit Us Online @ orga@bellsouth.net www.mindspring.com/~orga

PHYSICIANS PLAZA 988 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Ste. 200 Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Visit Us Online @ www.orgastro.com

Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Closed: Saturday, Sunday and most legal holidays.

(865) 483-4366 Fax: (865) 483-5957

By appointment only.

PHYSICIANS PLAZA Phillip Ricks M.D. 988 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Ste. 200 Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Kenneth Luckmann M.D.

Clement Block M.D.

Ronald Wray M.D.

Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Closed: Saturday, Sunday and most legal holidays.

Mark Prince M.D.

By appointment only.

Jeffrey S. Gilbert M.D.

Ruth Montalvo-Simpkins M.D.