From The Oak Ridger 1 Sep 2004 Marjorie Clark Hatmaker, 80, of Clinton, formerly of Lake City, Melvin Francis Wardell, 91, Marjorie Clark Hatmaker, 80, of Clinton, formerly of Lake City, died Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004, at her home. Born Oct. 7, 1923, in Kentucky, she was the daughter of Clarence and Myrtle Akins Clark. She was a Baptist. She was well known for growing and showing dahlias at many area fairs and for making and selling preserves at the Farmer's Market in Oak Ridge. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother, Clarence Clark Jr. Mrs. Hatmaker is survived by her husband of 63 years, John Hatmaker; a son, Michael Wayne Hatmaker, of Clinton; and a daughter and son-in-law, Johnny and Darhyl Ramsey, of Denton, Texas. A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004, at Oak Grove Cemetery in Lake City with the Rev. Brian Courtney officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Hatmaker Funeral Home in Lake City. Melvin Francis Wardell, 91, died Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004, at the Estates of Oak Ridge, where he had lived for almost five years. The son of Charles and Mae Elizabeth Brooks Wardell, he was born Sept. 26, 1912, in Philadelphia, Pa., but grew up in Chester, Pa. According to his family, at the age of 16, he went to work as an apprentice in the drafting department of Sun Shipyards. In a few months, he was selected to be sent to Drexel University for training. After he completed his studies, he returned to Sun and worked in the engineering department and quickly became an expert in the Docksford diesel engine, used by most oil tanks and naval ships. During World War II, Mr. Wardell served as a civilian consultant to the U.S. Navy and was flown throughout the South Pacific assessing damages and supervising repairs to ships using the Docksford engine. Shortly after the war, he was approached by Aristotle Onassis for help with two ships Onassis had purchased to transport refugees from Europe to Australia, his family said. The ships were equipped with the Docksford and Onassis could not risk having a breakdown during the trips and hired Mr. Wardell to keep things operating smoothly during the transports, the family said. Everything went well for two trips but Mr. Wardell decided to go home. He had had enough of war and not seeing his family. Mr. Wardell returned to Chester and joined a new subsidiary of the Sun Co. called Catalytic Construction and Engineering. For several years, he was involved in refinery construction. In 1956, Catalytic was awarded a contract in Oak Ridge and Mr. Wardell was named manager, a position he held until he retired in 1975. Mr. Wardell and his wife, Mary, were avid golfers and one of the first things they did was join the Oak Ridge Country Club. For over 40 years they enjoyed the golf and social activities of the club. According to his family, his other great interest was ham radio. He got his first license at age 12, with the call sign 3ATZ. As he became more efficient he upgraded to W3DGM and finally the highest class, with call sign K4PJ. In 1956, he was the national winner of the American Radio Relay League's code contest. He was active for years in the Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club, where he became acquainted with Bill O'Kain and acted as his mentor or "Elmer" as he mastered the code and became a world class operator. His wife Mary died in 1987. The couple had no children. Mr. Wardell is survived by a brother-in-law, Joseph Daugherty, of Tampa, Fla.; his good friend and golf partner, Eloise Yonts; and "ham" friends Ruby and Bill O'Kain. The body was cremated and burial will be in the family plot in Lynnwood, Pa. A memorial mass will be held at Saturday, Sept. 25, 2004, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in the Mary Chapel with Father Michael Woods officiating. The family requests that any memorials be in the form of contributions to the charity of the donors' choice. Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. An online register book may be signed www.martinoakridgefuneralhome.com. =========================================== SUPPORT OUR TROOPS---FLY THE FLAG "Genealogy is like playing hide and seek. They hide I seek!!! www.byrge.com/genealogy/ Searching: BYRGE/BUNCH/DAUGHERTY/DUNCAN/KENNEDY/ PATTERSON/PHILLIPS/SEIBER/TACKETT/WARD