City of Oak Ridge and Scarboro Community Network Committee Dedicate “Memorabilia Wall” September 8th

Mayor Tom Beehan and Members of the Oak Ridge City Council will join the Scarboro Community Network Committee (SCNC) on Thursday, September 8 at 3:30 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center to dedicate a Memorabilia Wall exhibit showcasing African American involvement and participation in the growth and development of Oak Ridge.

Patrick McIntyre, Jr., Executive Director of the Tennessee Historical Commission and representatives of the Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH) will also be in attendance.

According to committee member Barbara Spratling, the Scarboro Community Network Committee was formed to improve the quality of life for citizens in the Scarboro Community. “The committee initiated the Memorabilia Project a couple of years ago and began to collect and preserve news clippings, photos and documents that capture a unique chapter of Oak Ridge History,” Ms. Spratling stated. “The project has been so successful that we have enough material to rotate the exhibit on a regular basis.”

“Many of our young people pass through the doors of the Scarboro Center gymnasium on a regular basis,” added committee member James B. ‘J.B.’ Hill. “Hopefully they can make a positive connection to the past while they lead the community into the future.”

The project is supported by the Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH), which purchased the wall-mounted display cases, and by the Oak Ridge Public Library. Guidelines and procedures for borrowing and handling materials have been developed. The Memorabilia Wall is located in the Scarboro Community Center Gymnasium, 148 Carver Avenue in Oak Ridge.

For more information about the exhibit or the Committee, contact Barbara Spratling: (855) 425-3950

News media contact: Amy Fitzgerald, City of Oak Ridge (865) 414-3554