The shorter, good looking guy is Hugh Barnett. He started working for The Manhattan Project in New York City and then transferred to Oak Ridge in early 1944. He had a top secret security clearance. He knew the purpose of this top secret industrial site in East Tennessee.
The beautiful young woman is Louise Lee Keaton. She grew up on a farm outside Pikeville, Tennessee and attended Pikeville High School. In the winter of 1943/1944 a man in a military uniform came and talked to the women who would graduate in May of 1944. He was recruiting women to work at an industrial site 75 miles north east of Pikeville, close to Knoxville.
She was intrigued and talked her father into letting her go to work at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She left in early June of 1944 and became a calutron girl, although the title wasn’t used until the late 1990’s.
Hugh is 100 years old and lives now in Maryville. Louise is 90 years old and lives on Lake Tansi, just south of Crossville. Both Louise and Hugh applied and were accepted to participate in the next HonorAir flight out of Knoxville on Wednesday, April 5th.
Louise and Hugh are part of a historic moment in our nation’s history. For only the second time, Manhattan Project workers will be on an HonorAir flight. Last October, HonorAir, for the first time, accepted Oak Ridge Manhattan Project workers on its 22nd. flight.
Sadly, The Manhattan Project workers have been exiled from our nation’s history of World War II. Anything, or anyone, connected to Hiroshima or Nagasaki have been banished from the celebrations of the greatest generation.
HonorAir is making history and also fixing this gross injustice at the same time. They should be applauded for doing the right thing.
