Brewery magnate Bill Coors directed the Coors Porcelain Company during World War II. He recalls how one day he was contacted by a Manhattan Project official with an urgent request.
Narrator: As the head of the Coors Porcelain Company during World War II, Bill Coors was contacted by the Manhattan Project when they sought high-quality porcelain insulators for Oak Ridge. He describes the urgency of that mysterious request.
Coors: I didn’t even have a desk or a telephone while I was working. The receptionist at the Coors Porcelain found me at work on an insulator. She said, “There is a phone call for you. They won’t speak to anybody else.”
I followed her into the office, got on the phone. A voice introduced himself as Rick Condit, working for the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory. He said, “We need insulators.”
“I’ll send you a drawing. You’re not supposed to copy it, show it to anybody, or talk to anybody about this. It’s a very secret project.”
So, I got a drawing in the mail, and, fortunately, it was an easy item to make.
All the main insulator companies, such as General Electric and Westinghouse, all quoted them in terms of months’ delivery.
I had them on the way in five days.
We had the entire Coors Porcelain facility converted into insulator development, manufacturing. In a matter of fact, just to keep up to date, keep pace with Oak Ridge demand.
I felt success, great success.
Narrator: Coors was not informed what those insulators was used for until many years later.