World War II's "Manhattan Project" was the the best kept secret in the world. It was a multi-state project sited in rural and isolated areas to develop an atomic weapon never imagined. The first location was "Site X" or "Clinton Engineer Works" in rural Tennessee. This was one of three sites selected in the United States (plus Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington). For residents and new recruits to Clinton Engineer Works, to what later became the town of Oak Ridge, their work and life represented a sea of social change during the war to end all wars. The science of Oak Ridge tells part of the story. The culture of Oak Ridge was even more unique. In this new community of 75,000 people, there was one mission-everyone united in doing their part to end World War II.

Their commitment to their children, to family, to community and to America was without precedent and was reflected in the dynamic school system they created, the enriching learning activities available outside the classroom, the unity of neighbor to neighbor and all part of a larger cause; their willingness to embrace secrecy for the sake of their "boys" fighting the war; and their dedication in the workplace to doing their job right, every day.