A bridge dedication in Oak Ridge, Tenn., will pay tribute to Steve McCracken's 'historic' life and career.
McCracken is a former Oak Ridge cleanup manager at the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management who helped build the bridge that is now dedicated to him, according to a June 21 Department of Energy news release.
“It wasn’t just me that got us to where we are," McCracken said at the dedication ceremony, the release reported. "It was we that did it.”
His friends had high praise for him, according to the release.
"We called him McCracken. He had a one-name name. You know, a lot of people say, ‘Steve McCracken.’ It's McCracken,” Susan Walter said in the release.
"[The Haul Road was] very big for cleanup in Oak Ridge, but a very small piece of Steve's accomplishments,” longtime friend and co-worker Dave Adler said in the release. "He's very, very generous with his ideas and encouragement. You can't compliment Steve without him turning it around. He just has this amazing humility.”
"Like this project, Steve doesn't seek the spotlight, but he's always steady and reliable getting things done," Karen Shears, a friend and former colleague, said, according to the release.
Official social media accounts also took the opportunity to honor him.
"Retired @OakRidgeOffice manager Steve McCracken was honored with a bridge named after him at the cleanup site!" The DOE Environmental Management Twitter account posted June 24.
