Thomas Kress Obituary

Tom Kress was born in Kingsport, TN, on Dec. 5, 1933, and passed away peacefully at home on July 2, 2025. He spent seventy-one blissful years with Dolores (Dee) McConnell Kress, also a native of Kingsport. Their 69th wedding anniversary was June 2, 2025. They are the parents of three children, Reid (deceased March 5, 2023) (Cheryl), Wendy (Charles), and Tyler, and have ten grandchildren, Ryan, Lindsey (Zak), Jessica (Peter), Adam, Taylor (Jessica), Kurtis (Shae), Bob, Kacie, Gavin, & Fletcher. Tom and Dee have lived in Oak Ridge, TN, since 1959.
Dr. Kress obtained his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Science all from The University of Tennessee. He had a distinguished career as a senior scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 35 years. At ORNL, Dr. Kress worked on all aspects of design and safety of various nuclear power facilities including light-water reactors (LWR's), liquid-metal fast-breeder reactors (LMFBR's), Molten Salt Reactors, Gas-Cooled Reactors, and Research Reactors. He was Head of the Applied Systems Technology Section in charge of about thirty engineering and physics personnel. Dr. Kress was also manager of all the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Research at ORNL in the area of severe accident phenomena as well as Department of Energy (DOE) programs related to nuclear safety.
As part of his NRC work, he was a strong participant in all of their nuclear safety work including development of the fission product release and transport models that are in the MELCOR (portmanteu from "melting core") computer code which is NRC's major model for predicting the development and consequences of nuclear power severe accidents (core meltdowns).
Because of his expertise, it was Dr. Kress's honor to be appointed as one of only twelve members of the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. He served a record (at that time) of sixteen years with two-and-a-half of those as chairman. For many years he continued to serve this committee in the capacity of Member at Large.
It was Dr. Kress's honor to be chosen by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, as one of only two U.S. representative members of a group of 12 experts that were commissioned to meet with the Russian Scientists that were evaluating the Chernobyl Accident and to develop the definitive IAEA report on the accident. He was responsible for determining the initiating event and the fission product behavior. As a result, Dr. Kress was invited to be an honorary speaker at dozens of locations across the U.S. and abroad to tell the "real story" and the scientific truth of what happened at Chernobyl.
Dr. Kress has had distinguished service on many international and U.S. committees including the DOE Waste Tank Issues Committee, the Severe Accident Advisory Committee for the Savannah River Laboratory, a U.S.S.R. committee to evaluate the safety of the Soviet-designed RBMK reactors (reaktor bolshoy moshchnosty kanalny, high-power channel reactor), i.e., the Chernobyl-type, and on two different "Group of Experts" for the Organization of Economic cooperation and Development/Committee for Safety of Nuclear Installations (OECD/CSNI).
In one particular IAEA committee along with an additional expert from Germany and England, Dr. Kress used his models for core meltdown and fission product release and transport as aerosols to develop a significant computer model that is used to assess LWR severe accident behavior and consequences.
Some additional notable achievements include:
1. Authored more than 150 technical reports
2. Member of Who's Who in the World of Science
3. Elected as a member of the New York Academy of Science
4. Member of ten different professional societies
5. Fellow of the American Nuclear Society
6. Recognized by The University of Tennessee in the 1987 Yearbook for his Nuclear Safety Work
7. Reviewed the operation of Nuclear Submarines
Tom enjoyed dry fly fishing for trout in the Smoky Mountains up until his mid-eighties and playing on an over-80 Senior Olympic Basketball team where he holds Tennessee medals for individual awards in 3-point shots, free throws, and an event called the 'hot shot'. Other than time with his family, some of his fondest memories were spent playing basketball on a weekly basis for many years with Lawrence Hahn and a group of friends at the Oak Ridge Boys Club, where his wife, Dee, was a former member of the Board. When Covid hit the globe, he hung up his basketball shoes and fishing waders but continued to enjoy time with his wonderful wife, Dee, and his family.
Tom's funeral service is Sunday, July 6, 2025, at 2:00-3:00 p.m. at Weatherford Mortuary, 158 South Jefferson Circle, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Visitation will be from 1:00-2:00 p.m. preceding the service, also at Weatherford. After the service, there will be additional visitation with food from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Oak Ridge at 102 S Jefferson Cir. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you please donate to the Boys & Girls Club of Oak Ridge at https://bgcor.org/
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