Cold War

Richard McCardell was a nuclear engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory. In this interview, McCardell explains the path he took towards his involvement in the Special Power Excursion Reactor Test, or “SPERT,” which was a series of reactor tests in Idaho Falls.  

Cindy Kelly: All right. We can start with something very simple. Tell us your name and spell it. Bill Ginkel: I’m Bill Ginkel, G-i-n-k-e-l. I came to Idaho in 1950 out of the Manhattan Project and its successor agency. I was actually employed by the Atomic Energy Commission in Oak Ridge in connection with material […]

Bill Ginkel served as the Manager of Office Operations for the Idaho Falls laboratory of the Atomic Energy Commission. In this interview, he describes his experience working at the facility beginning in 1950. He recalls the pioneering work conducted at the laboratory and the occasional methodological divide between the scientists and engineers. He also explains […]

Kelly: You can tell us your name, and spell it. Meservey: Okay. Richard Meservey. Most people call me Dick, and Meservey is spelled M-e-s-e-r-v-e-y. Kelly: Why don’t you tell us, what’s your educational background, and what brought you to the site and when? Meservey: I have a bachelor’s degree in physics from Western Illinois University, back […]

Richard “Dick” Meservey is a nuclear physicist who worked at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). In this interview, he describes the rewarding projects he worked on at INL including the Special Power Excursion Reactor Test and the Advanced Test Reactor. He lauds the unusual freedom that scientists enjoyed working in Idaho Falls, and explains why he […]

Bill Wilcox: My name is Bill Wilcox. William J. Wilcox, Jr. Cindy Kelly: And how do you spell Wilcox? Wilcox: W-I-L-C-O-X. Kelly: Why was Oak Ridge chosen for the Manhattan Project? Wilcox: It was one of the first actions of the new Manhattan Project, under Colonel [James] Marshall in the early summer of 1942. They started […]

Cindy Kelly: I’m Cindy Kelly. It is Thursday, April 26, 2018, and I have with me Gordon Fee. Gordon, first, why don’t you just tell us a little bit about your background and how you happened to come to Oak Ridge and what you’ve done here. Gordon Fee: I came to Oak Ridge almost by accident. […]

Gordon Fee is the retired president of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems and the former manager of the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, TN. He began working at Oak Ridge at the K-25 gaseous diffusion plant in 1956. In this interview, he describes his career at Oak Ridge, and shares stories about his work […]

Nathaniel Weisenberg: My name is Nate Weisenberg. I am here with the Atomic Heritage Foundation. It is April 25, 2018, here in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I have with me Lee Russell. Liane Russell: Right. Weisenberg: My first question is if you could please say your name and spell it for me? Russell: My full name […]

Alexandra Levy: This is Alexandra Levy. I am here today on May 22, 2018, with Robert Carter. My first question for you is to please say your name and to spell it. Robert Carter: Robert Carter, R-o-b-e-r-t C-a-r-t-e-r. Levy: Great. Can you tell us when and where you were born, and a little bit about […]