Project Jukebox Survey
Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!
Patience Stuart
Patience Stuart is from Portland, Oregon and is an architectural historian with AECOM, a multi-national infrastructure consulting firm. She was the architectural historian on the “Decommissioning and Dismantlement of the Deactivated SM-1A Nuclear Power Plant” project, which is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program, SM-1A, Fort Greely, Alaska. She also conducted oral history interviews, with assistance from Kevin Taylor, for this SM-1A project, and the recordings and transcripts are part of the Cold War in Alaska Project Jukebox.
As Interviewer
| Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Santone | 2021-05-01 | Cold War in Alaska |
Karl Santone was interviewed on September 3, 2021 by Patience Stuart and Kevin Taylor of AECOM for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' SM-1A Nuclear Reactor decommissioning project. The interview was conducted over the telephone with Karl being at his home in Gordonsville, Virginia, Patience in Portland, Oregon, and Kevin in Greenville, South Carolina. In this interview, Karl talks about working at the SM-1A nuclear plant at Fort Greely from 1960 to 1962, the training he received, day-to-day operations of the facility, the lifestyle at this remote base, and having received a possible overexposure to radiation. Karl also talks about public and military views on the use of nuclear power, other work he did for the military, and going to law school. |
| George Shaw | 2021-05-03 | Cold War in Alaska |
|
| Bill Hellums | 2021-05-02 | Cold War in Alaska |
|
| Billy "BJ" Foreman | 2021-05-04 | Cold War in Alaska |
Billy "BJ" Foreman was interviewed on September 29, 2021 by Patience Stuart and Kevin Taylor of AECOM for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' SM-1A Nuclear Reactor decommissioning project. The interview was conducted over the telephone with BJ at his home in Barboursville, Virginia, Patience in Portland, Oregon, and Kevin in Greensville, South Carolina. In this interview, BJ talks about his experience working at the SM-1A nuclear power plant at Fort Greely, Alaska. He discusses the training he recieved at the Army's nuclear power training program at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the technical aspects of operating and maintaining the SM-1A plant, the effects of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, and what it was like for him and his family to live and work at the remote site. He also compares the SM-1A with the private nuclear power industry, and talks about how he was able to transfer his military experience to civilian nuclear and energy production work. |
| David Applebee | 2021-05-05 | Cold War in Alaska |
David Applebee was interviewed on Septemer 30, 2021 by Patience Stuart and Kevin Taylor of AECOM for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' SM-1A Nuclear Reactor decommissioning project. The interview was conducted over the telephone with David at his home in Soldotna, Alaska, Patience in Portland, Oregon, and Kevin in Greensville, South Carolina. In this interview, David talks about working at the SM-1A nuclear reactor power plant at Fort Greely, the training he received, and the duties he performed as a health physicist, working in the lab, and doing environmental and radiation monitoring. He also talks about life at Fort Greely, the sense of community with other SM-1A workers, and enjoying living in Alaska. David also shares how his experiences at SM-1A influenced the rest of his life and career. |
| Frank Faulkner | 2021-05-06 | Cold War in Alaska |
|
George Shaw was interviewed on September 20, 2021 by Patience Stuart and Kevin Taylor of AECOM for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' SM-1A Nuclear Reactor decommissioning project. The interview was conducted over the telephone with George being at his home in Kenai, Alaska, Patience in Portland, Oregon, and Kevin in Greenville, South Carolina. In this interview, George talks about being a civilian employee at the SM-1A nuclear reactor at Fort Greely, Alaska in the 1960's. He describes the training he received in the Army's Nuclear Power Training Program, the day-to-day activities of the operator's job, restarting the reactor, refueling, and dealing with contaminated water and a leak of contaminated steam. He also talks about the social life with other crewmembers, living off base as a married man with a family, the importance of this experience for the rest of his career, and why he changed jobs and left to go work for Union Oil in Kenai, Alaska.
William E. "Bill" Hellums was interviewed on September 9, 2021 by Patience Stuart and Kevin Taylor of AECOM for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' SM-1A Nuclear Reactor decommissioning project. The interview was conducted over the telephone with Bill at his home in Daly City, California, Patience in Portland, Oregon, and Kevin in Greenville, South Carolina. In this interview, Bill talks about his experiences working at the SM-1A nuclear power plant at Fort Greely, Alaska. He talks about the training he received, his job duties as an operator and health physicist, and accidental leaks, radiation exposure, and contamination. He also talks about living on base with his family and how much he enjoyed the Alaska lifestyle of fishing and hunting, and tells stories of some of his adventures.
Frank Faulkner was interviewed on October 4, 2021 by Patience Stuart and Kevin Taylor of AECOM for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' SM-1A Nuclear Reactor decommissioning project. The interview was conducted over the telephone with Frank at his home in Hapeville, Georgia, Patience in Portland, Oregon, and Kevin in Greensville, South Carolina. In this interview, Frank talks about working at the SM-1A nuclear power plant at Fort Greely, Alaska, arriving in Alaska in the winter, the training he received, and the challenges of the training and the job. He provides details of how the nuclear reactor functioned, day to day job activites, and the off duty activities of the SM-1A employees who were a close-knit group of people and families. He also talks about dealing with the cold, darkness and isolation at such a remote site and how it was more difficult for the wives who were stuck at home with the children. Frank also touches on other parts of his career, including time in Panama.