The Last Reunion: The Class of 1952 Comes Home to the Secret City
Jarrell “Jay” Searcy, a newspaperman for 44 years, is a national award-winning sports writer and feature writer who lived in Oak Ridge as a child during World War II. Both of his parents worked at the nuclear plants. Jay has been collecting Oak Ridge stories most of his adult life. His newspaper career, which started at The Oak Ridger when he was in high school, took him to The Kingsport Times-News, The Chattanooga Times, The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he was executive sports editor. He twice was named Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year and is a member of the Chattanooga, Oak Ridge and Tennessee Sports Writers Halls of Fame. He lives in retirement in Loudon’s Tellico Village with his wife of 55 years, Jackie Hildebrand, an Oak Ridge schoolmate.