Ray Smith

David Ray Smith ensures that current and future generations can learn about the heritage, history, ongoing and planned activities in the city of Oak Ridge, TN. Through printed media complemented by film, presentations, tours, and a history center, he has made the history of the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge available to all. Almost five decades of experience at Y-12 provide Smith with a deep understanding and high appreciation of its unique heritage.

He is an ambassador for Y-12 to the community and has presented Y-12’s historic heritage story and the history of the city of Oak Ridge to universities, civic groups, school groups, conventions, conferences, technical societies, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) meetings in Las Vegas, NV, Los Alamos, NM, and Hanford, WA, and the general public in several varied venues. Many of Ray’s presentation videos are online.

In 2014, he was selected to testify at the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands on H. R. 5987, A BILL TO ESTABLISH THE MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK IN OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE, LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO, AND HANFORD, WASHINGTON. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, representative for the third district of Tennessee recommended him for this honor.

He was selected to serve on the National Park Service’s Scholars Forum Roundtable to establish the themes for the new park and attended the official signing ceremony in Washington, DC, on November 10, 2015.

Named the Historian for the City of Oak Ridge in December 2015, Ray has written a weekly local newspaper column on the history of Oak Ridge, Historically Speaking, for the past 13 years. He has published hardback books of annual volumes of these articles each year. For nine years he also wrote a second weekly newspaper column, Y-12: Oak Ridge Treasure, National Resource.

He was given Oak Ridge’s prestigious Muddy Boot Award in 2013 by the East Tennessee Economic Council for individuals who have had a major and sustained positive impact on the East Tennessee region.

Ray was selected to serve as a commissioner of the Tennessee Historical Commission in April 2017.

As he retired from the Y-12 National Security Complex in November 2017, Ray was awarded the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Administrator’s Distinguished Service Gold Award for numerous contributions to the historical preservation of the history at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

He was also awarded the United Way of Anderson County’s Starfish Award for service to the Oak Ridge community in November 2017.

In November 2018, Ray was awarded the Emory Road Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation medal.

In 2018, Ray assisted Dr. Lee Riedinger, Professor of Physics and Director, Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education at the University of Tennessee, in teaching an honors course, Science and History of the Manhattan Project.

In 2019, Ray was selected by the East Tennessee Historical Society to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for Community History. He was nominated for this award by two organizations independently.

In 2022, Hidden History: Stories from the Secret City was awarded the Award of Excellence for History in Media by the East Tennessee Historical Society, and Keith McDaniel and Ray were presented this award on June 7, 2022. This videocast is available on YouTube.

In 2025, Ray was awarded the William T. Sergeant Vocational Service Award by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, the club's highest award.

In 2026, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce selected Ray to receive their Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ray has produced or co-produced 12 documentary films, and his most recent and favorite one, produced in January 2018, is Ed Westcott – Photographer, a tribute to the famous Manhattan Project and Department of Energy photographer, without whose exceptional photographs our Oak Ridge and DOE history would not be nearly so well documented. The documentary film can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYvzw9f8M8A