Glenn is a problem solver from way back. These days, as a researcher at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the problems are very different from the ones he faced growing up on the streets in Atlanta. Back then, his focus was on supporting his two sisters and ill mother. To pay the bills, he dropped out of high school in 1966, his senior year, and went to work. Allgood unloaded trucks during the day and attended school at night, then got a job servicing vending machines. He earned his General Equivalency Diploma in 1967 and went to work for Atlanta Gas Light Company as a senior engineering assistant.

In December he joined the Navy. "If I were going into the service, I wanted it to be on my terms," said Allgood, who was assigned to a submarine chaser and was later attached to a Marine helicopter squadron. In 1973 he enrolled at DeKalb College, then spent some time at Georgia State and Georgia Tech before enrolling at the University of Tennessee (UT), where he majored in electrical engineering. Twenty-six years and three degrees later--he earned a doctorate from UT in 1991--Allgood uses mathematics and engineering principles daily. He designs instruments to detect flaws in textiles, diagnose lung conditions and he's developing better methods to treat burn patients. Allgood is also involved in human factors and biomedical research and in the development of economic models for defining strategic R&D initiatives.

Whatever the job, Allgood is driven to be the best. It doesn't matter if it's flipping burgers or designing sophisticated electronic instruments. Integrity, honor and accountability mean everything to Allgood. "You're only as good as your word," he says. "Honor and integrity are all you have. That's one reason I can relate to the military. There's a sense of honor and accountability in the military. Take them away and you have nothing." Reprinted from DOE Pulse, October 4, 1999 issue.

From 1978 to 1981 Frank served in the U. S. Army, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and was stationed on the East German border. From 1981 to 1983, he was in the 49th Armored Division, Texas Army National Guard and from 1983 to 1993 with the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard.

This picture was taken in 1978 along the East German border.

Frank is currently working at ORNL as a Health Physics Technologist in the Operational Safety Services Division.

In 1974, Lt. Blakeman left the navy to pursue graduate studies in Nuclear Engineering and eventually found his way to the Computational Physics and Engineering Division at ORNL where he is presently a staff member.

Lt. Blakeman is proud of his service and feels that in addition to the opportunity to visit unusual areas of the world, it has provided him with experiences and memories that have strengthened and enriched his life.

In 1969, Donald left high school to enlist in the U. S. Marine Corps, and served a one year tour in the Republic of Vietnam. His occupational speciality was infantry rifleman, and he served in both the Third Marine Division and the First Marine Division. He served in combat operations, and earned the Combat Action Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Donald's time in the service was somewhat unusual in that he was underage. He entered the Marine Corps at age 16 (the recruiter thought he was 18), and was honorably separated from military service less than one month after his 18th birthday. Interestingly enough, Lieutenant Oliver North was in his battallion at the time, although Donald never met him.

Donald came home in 1970 as both a combat veteran and a high-school dropout. He eventually went back to school and on to college and now holds a master's degree in political science, summa cum laude (and currently teaches political science at Pellissippi State College). He advises those who have not yet completed their educational goals that, "You can always go back."

	Terry... in a guard tower.	...out in the field (Terry is at left). This photo of a firebase shows typical living conditions.
..in a better-than-usual afternoon rain shower		...and waiting for the plane out of Vietnam!

Tim's picture was made on a wet windy day in 1968 in South Vietnam.

In 1977 he started as a Millwright for the P&E Division and is currently assigned to the Physics Division on Accelerators and Vacuum Systems. In the picture below, Larry is in France's new fighter aircraft, The Rafale.

Michael Gresalfi is the Vice Commander of American Legion Post 247, Poolesville, MD. He entered the Army as an enlisted man, was promoted to NCO, and then to commissioned officer. His active duty assignments included Chief of Security, U. S. Army Intelligence Center and School and Counterintelligence Team Leader, U.S. Intelligence and Security Command, within the Readiness Training (RedTrain) Office. Michael also spent some years in the Army Reserves, supporting Middle East terrorism counteraction activities.

He is currently in the Washington, D. C. area where he serves as a Washington, D.C. Coordinator for Environmental Programs.

Jerry Hadder served in the U. S. Army Chemical Corps at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, during 1970-71. He designed and operated the Army's first pilot scale incinerators for disposal of nerve agents. Now a Senior R& D Staff member at ORNL, he studies of the cost and petroleum refinery impacts of proposed changes in gasoline and diesel fuel quality.

Henry received a Naval Commendation for saving the life of one of his shipmates who, had it not been for Henry's quick action, would have been tossed overboard and crushed between a returning liberty launch and the gangplank.

After 4 years with the Navy, Henry had a 3-year hiatus from military duty and earned a BS degree in Business and Commerce from Knoxville College. Henry then served for another 4 years with the U.S. Army National Guard, where he was recognized as Soldier of the Year. In 1988, Henry served in a voluntary capacity with the Tennessee Defense Force as Captain assigned to the 304th Infantry Battalion, and served there until he resigned his commission in 1991.

Henry states that people don't fully grasp that in joining the military, a person is saying, "I'm willing to die for my country." This is true even in times when there is no open conflict occurring. He remembers that on his first cruise in the Mediterranean five pilots lost their lives during training exercises. Members of the armed forces train daily, live for extended periods away from their families on foreign soil, and face the ultimate sacrifice of death daily. For Henry, Veterans Day brings to mind all those who made and are making the many sacrifices to serve and protect this great nation of ours.

A native of Perrysburg, Ohio, Captain Mark W. Kohring received his commission upon graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy in June 1973. He entered the Navy Nuclear Power Program and completed the training at the Nuclear Power School in Bainbridge, Maryland, and the Navy Prototype Training Unit in West Milton, New York.

Captain Kohring's sea duty included assignments as Reactor Controls Assistant, Electrical Assistant, and Main Propulsion Assistant on USS HADDOCK (SSN 621), Damage Control Assistant and Weapons Officer on USS FLASHER (SSN 613), Assistant Engineer on USS PERMIT (SSN 594), and Navigator/Operations Officer on USS GEORGE C. MARSHALL (SSBN 654). His shore duty tours included the Submarine Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Poseidon Submarine Inertial Navigation System School, and a tour as a Company Officer at the U. S. Naval Academy.

Resigning his active duty commission in 1982, Captain Kohring was commissioned in the Naval Reserve in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was initially assigned to the Naval Control of Shipping (NCSO) program. He was a member of the NR NCSO MED/AFR 409 unit for seven years, the last three as Executive Officer. He consecutively served as Commanding Officer of NR Trident Refit Facility, Kings Bay; NR NCSO WAFR 409; NR EMORY S. LAND (AS-39) 309; NR Naval Research Laboratory Science and Technology 108; and NR COMSUBLANT 206. He retired from the Naval Reserve in February 1999.

He received a Master's Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1987.

Captain Kohring has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation ribbon, and various service awards. He is married to the former Marsha Read of Madison, Tennessee. They reside in Knoxville, Tennessee, and have three children; two sons, Wesley and Shelby, and a daughter, Kasey.

Barry Miller is the Procurement Director for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Project. Barry's procurement experience spans 28 years. His wide range of contract experience covers fixed price to cost reimbursable instruments both domestically and on an international scale. He progressed from entry level buying positions early in his career to procurement executive positions over the last 19 years.

He retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service and obtaining the rank of major. Some of his more memorable jobs included Contracts Director/Commander at Dover AFB directing procurement operations throughout the world supporting strategic C-5 aircraft during Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He was also the Construction Contract Director for Allied Forces west of the Rhine River, including 3 Air Force and 10 Army installations, and was a Tactical Air Command Inspector General Team Chief.

He holds Bachelors from Northwestern State University of Louisiana and a Masters Degree from Webster University at Saint Louis, Missouri. He has attended over 35 specialized courses in contracting and management programs. He was also an instructor for the USAF Base Contracting Officer Course and a Total Quality Management Lead Instructor and held memberships in the National Contract Management Association and the National Association of Purchasing Managers.

Barry came to SNS from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) where he was the Procurement Services Manager. In this capacity he was responsible for procurement policies, Work for Others, and Cooperative Research and Development awards at ANL-E and ANL-W for up to 85+ acquisition specialists and over 4,000 scientific, technical, and administrative personnel. He was awarded the Vice President's Hammer Award for reinventing government in this job. Prior to that, Barry was the Purchasing Manager for the Advance Photon Source Project.

Barry has two daughters, three grandchildren and originally hails from Glassport, Pennsylvania. He, and his wife Judy, currently reside in Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Robert Nodine served in the United States Air Force for 6 years and 7 months from December 1966 to July 1973 when he received a Honorable Discharge. He was a Non-commissioned Officer reaching the rank of Staff Sargent. Most of his military career was spent as a radio communications specialist with the Ground Electronics Engineering Installation Agency (GEEIA). He installed communications facilities throughout Southeast Asia, first as a team member and later as a team chief. After spending four years in that theater, he returned to the U.S. and was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach Florida. At the time of his discharge Robert had over 6 years of active military duty and was not required to serve in the reserves after discharge. He choose not to participate in the reserves and ended his m ilitary career at discharge.

Wayne served in the United States Air Force from March 12, 1968, to December 8, 1971. During his 4-year enlistment he became an Honor Graduate of the Instructor Training School at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS, and helped instruct over 200 students in the repair of inertial and Doppler navigation electronics systems on C130, C141, C5 and F4 aircraft. He also was one of the first Air Force instructors on the C5's Malfunction Detection, Analysis, and Recording System. Parker received an Honorable Discharge as a Staff Sergeant on December 8, 1971, taking advantage of an "early out" to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in June 1974.

In March 1976, while working as an engineer in civilian life, Parker joined the United States Navy Seabees (Reserve) and served with the 24th RNMCB detachment in Knoxville. He was subsequently granted a Direct Commission from the Secretary of the Navy and served as the battalion's Engineering Officer, Embarkation Officer, Public Affairs Officer, and Assistant Alpha Company Commander. During Parker's 6-year enlistment, RNMCB-24 was twice rated the Number One reserve Seabee battalion in the United States. He received an Honorable Discharge as a Navy Lieutenant in 1983.

C. Wayne Parker is now a Registered Professional Engineer and Certified Energy Manager in the ORNL Engineering Division, has been at ORNL for 10 years, and works in Building 2518 as the ORNL Energy Manager.

Specialist Pointer served in the U.S. Army from 1989-1991 as a Military Police Officer at Fort Stewart, Georgia. She was assigned to the Provost Marshals Office as a traffic accident investigator and as deputy court clerk. She was awarded the Army Accommodation Medal, Amy Service Ribbon, and the National Defense Service Medal.

Missy is currently a Control Center Assistant in the Laboratory Shift Superintendent's Office.

Bill Rich culminated a 30 year career with the United States Air Force in 1987 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Rising from the enlisted ranks, Colonel Rich's assignments in the Air Force were diverse in both breadth of responsibility and geographic location. A decorated Vietnam veteran (two Bronze Stars), he served two tours as a Squadron commander, twice in roles as a major command headquarters staff officer, and twice as a member of headquarters Inspector General teams. His final military assignment was as Deputy Commander of an overseas Security Police Group which was recognized in both 1985 and 1987 as the "Best Security Police Group" in the USAF. In 1986, Colonel Rich was named the first winner of the Air Force's "Billy Jack Carter Award" which recognized the one Air Force member who contributed the most to the advancement of the Air Force Security Police career field.

Mark began his military career as enlisted marine serving with the Combat Marine Reserve Unit in Knoxville. After serving 3 years Mark obtained a commission in the U.S. Army where he served 3 years on active duty as a 1st Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. During active duty, he served as an executive office/Platoon Leader for an Airfield Departure control Group Unit for strategic deployments. While serving on active duty Mark was deployed to numerous stateside locations to include Alaska, and overseas to Honduras. Following active duty Mark was assigned to the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion in Knoxville for seventeen years. Major Robbins has spent more than 25 years in the military and is a Gulf War Veteran. During his 25 year tenure, Major Robbins has performed humanitarian and civil affairs support missions in Southwest Asia. Mark has recently been reassigned from the 1077th Reinforcement Training Unit in Knoxville ato the 10th (CAS3) Battalion, 100 Training Division located in Lexington, KY. Mark is awaiting his promotion orders to LTD, and is currently serving a years internship in the Battalion. Upon completing his internship, Mark will be qualified as an instructor teaching the Combine Arms Services Staff School cour curriculum.

Mr. Strawbridge has a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy and M.S. degrees in naval architecture and mechanical engineering from MIT. He is also a registered professional engineer. Before joining SNS and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, he was vice president for Quality and Information Systems at a leading manufacturer of pre-engineered steel buildings. In 1997, he completed 25 years with the U.S. Department of the Navy as general manager (commander) of the Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

Mr. Strawbridge's 29-year military career began in 1968 when he entered the U.S. Naval Academy. He spent 9 years at sea serving on three destroyers, a ballistic missile submarine, and a repair ship, and completing extended deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, the western Pacific, the Persian Gulf, and twice circumnavigating South America. He served ashore at the naval shipyards in Bremerton, Washington; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Kittery, Maine; and at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C. He retired from active naval service in 1997 with the grade of captain.

Art entered the service in Aug 1966. This was a time when the Vietrnam offensive was building up. He took Basic Training at Amarillo Air Force Base in Amarillo, Texas and spent four years two months and twenty one days active duty. He was honorably discharged in late September of 1970 as a Sargent. His job was a heating system specialist assigned to engineering squadrons, primarly "Red Horse" a combat engineering force.

Art is assigned to Chem Tech division as a Design Technologist and has been in the engineering field for 37 years. He is currently on loan to HFIR helping with their upgrade program.

U. S. Navy from 1973-1979. Wes was an Electrician's Mate on the USS Virginia (CGN-38), a Nuclear Guided Missile Cruiser.

ORNL Veterans Day 2001

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) home page

Disclaimer

This site was created by T. J. Honeycutt for the ORNL Values Committee in cooperation with the ORNL EEO/Diversity Programs Office.