Three Nonagenarians Share Firsthand Memories of the Savannah River Site at CNTA Teller Lecture

On Nov. 25 in Aiken, Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (CNTA) presented its 34th annual Teller Lecture, featuring a panel of three speakers in their 90s who recalled the earliest days of the Savannah River Site (SRS) and how the site's creation shaped their families and careers.

The conversation was moderated by Mary Beth Reed, who has served for more than 25 years as principal investigator for the Savannah River Site History Project for the U.S. Department of Energy. Reed is also a co‑founder of cultural resource firm New South Associates, which has developed exhibits for the Savannah River Site Museum, including a display marking the site’s 75th anniversary.

Panelists’ memories

Margaret Rountree described being a recent high school graduate working in Barnwell when she learned in November 1950 that her family would need to leave their Dunbarton home for site construction. In a recorded oral‑history video shown at the event, she recalled the upheaval and loss.

"That was a long, hard day," Rountree said.

She said her family’s house was moved in the spring of 1952 to Elko, reportedly with dishes still in the cupboards. Rountree also recounted the financial strain on her father and how the displacement affected the family for years.

Ellyn McNair, whose father worked for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, said her family moved frequently. She was a high school senior in Maryland in December 1950 when she learned they would relocate to South Carolina. After graduating from Richmond Academy in Augusta, Georgia, McNair worked in the Savannah River Plant’s personnel office—then operating from the former school building in Ellenton—typing Personnel Security Questionnaires while the site was under construction.

"We were happily married for many, many years," she said of her husband Jim McNair. "He introduced my dad to golf in retirement, and it was one of the greatest pleasures for my dad."

Walt Joseph, a newly married Penn State graduate with a minor in nuclear engineering, said he originally applied to DuPont for a short-term position while he planned to return to finish a Ph.D. His first assignment at Savannah River Laboratory proved compelling enough that he stayed.

"I think the basic lesson that I got from working at the site was that Americans are capable of doing some really marvelous things when they're properly led and motivated," Joseph said. "Leadership is the key — a leader who expresses a strong vision, provides the tools, and then lets the team do the work."

Joseph also reflected on his technical work, noting that research into how neutron radiation affects stainless steel contributes to broader scientific and engineering progress.

Context and recognition

The Teller Lecture is named for Edward Teller, a prominent figure in early U.S. nuclear research who played a major role in the development of thermonuclear weapons and taught theoretical physics at several universities.

CNTA presented its annual awards at the event. The 2025 Nuclear Service Award was presented to Mindy Mets, who served 15 years as vice president of strategic initiatives for the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization and who advocated for SRS missions and workforce development. The 2025 Fred C. Davison Distinguished Scientist Award went to Gene Rhodes, director of the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory since 2012 and director of the University of Georgia Research Institute since 2021.

Scholarships announced at the lecture included a $10,000 Savannah River Mission Completion Science Scholarship — a joint project of CNTA and SRMC — awarded to Zachary Gardiner, a chemical engineering major with a minor in nuclear engineering at the University of South Carolina. Tori Rutland, who studies radiation protection technology at Aiken Technical College, received CNTA’s Nuclear Technology Scholarship.

CNTA is a local education and advocacy nonprofit that promotes the safe and effective use of nuclear technologies by providing technical education and networking opportunities. The Teller Lecture’s oral histories underscored the personal and community impacts of SRS while honoring technical and civic contributions that continue to shape the region.