Lunch with the League Archives

‘Girls of Atomic City’ author at Lunch with League on Tuesday

May 20, 2013 By Dawn Huotari Leave a Comment

Denise Kiernan

Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II,” will speak at Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The program begins at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“The Girls of Atomic City” is the true story of the young women during World War II who lived and worked in Oak Ridge, one of the Manhattan Project’s secret cities. Through their efforts were crucial to the development of the world’s first atomic bomb, the vast majority of Oak Ridge residents did not know what they were working on until the atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” detonated above Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: atomic bomb, Denise Kiernan, Ed Wescott, Hiroshima, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Little Boy, Lunch with the League, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, The Girls of Atomic City—The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

Public education reforms to be discussed at League meeting Tuesday

May 6, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Jerry Winters, retired chief lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association, will discuss the challenges facing public schools, with an emphasis on corporate “reforms,” during “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday, a press release said.

Winters will be the featured speaker at the meeting, which starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. His presentation is titled ”Surviving the Attacks on Public Education.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Education, K-12, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: charter schools, education reforms, Jerry Winters, League of Women Voters, lobbyist, Lunch with the League, public education, Tennessee Education Association, virtual schools, vouchers

‘Understanding Evolution’ at Lunch with League on Tuesday

March 31, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A licensed professional counselor will discuss evolution during “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday.

Friederica “Freddie” Nechtow will be the guest speaker, and her presentation will focus on “understanding evolution and the evidence for it rather than a debate of the pros and cons,” a press release said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: evolution, Friederica "Freddie" Nechtow, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

Alternatives to jail featured at ‘Lunch with the League’

March 18, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The director of Anderson County’s alternatives to jail program will be the featured speaker during “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday.

The presentation by Mike Baker will focus on alternatives to incarceration and the benefits to those affected, including their families and the community. The program starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Preventing, ending homelessness discussed at ‘Lunch with League’

March 4, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Programs that could help prevent, reduce, and end homelessness will be discussed at “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday.

Mike Dunthorn, program manager for homeless service in the Knoxville Community Development Department, will be the guest speaker at Tuesday’s lunch, which starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

‘Separation of Church and State’ discussed at Lunch with League

February 18, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A retired professor of philosophy, religion, and community health will discuss the separation of church and state during a Tuesday presentation at Lunch with the League.

Paul W. Sharkey, who has a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and a postdoctoral master of public health degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, will be the featured speaker at Tuesday’s lunch, which starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

City official discusses legislative agendas at lunch meeting Tuesday

January 30, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge official will discuss the city’s state and federal legislative agendas during a Tuesday “Lunch with the League.”

During the noon meeting, Oak Ridge Government and Public Affairs Coordinator Amy Fitzgerald will provide an overview of the agendas and discuss the impacts of the 2012 election.

Nonprofit leader discusses Manhattan Project park and others Tuesday

January 12, 2013 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A regional director for a national nonprofit organization will discuss national parks and a proposed Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which could include Oak Ridge, during a Tuesday meeting.

Don Barger, senior regional director for the Southeast Regional Office of the National Parks Conservation Association, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with League at noon Tuesday.

“In his presentation, Mr. Barger will discuss the state of the national parks, political and financial ramifications, the status of the Manhattan Project Historical Park, and issues facing the national park system,” a press release said.

New federal health insurance law discussed Tuesday

December 2, 2012 By John Huotari 2 Comments

Paula Flowers

Attorney and business executive Paula Flowers will discuss the effects of the new federal health care law during a Tuesday meeting in Oak Ridge.

Flowers will also discuss the U.S. Department of Energy’s recent announcement of an award to support a new project to design, license, and help commercialize small nuclear reactors in the United States. The award was given to Babcock & Wilcox in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Bechtel.

Grants program for school classroom projects discussed Tuesday

November 18, 2012 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A board member of a local nonprofit organization that helps schools will give a Tuesday presentation on a program that uses grants to fund classroom projects in Oak Ridge.

The presentation by Cathy Toth of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“We are well aware of the ORPSEF efforts in the renovation of Oak Ridge High School,” Toth said in a press release. “Most of us are not aware that ORPSEF has quietly been making a difference with a grants program that has funded dozens of classroom projects in every school in Oak Ridge. The grants provide resources beyond what can be provided by tax dollars to help make the critical difference between adequate and outstanding academic experiences and performance.”

UT philosophy professor talks foreign policy Tuesday

November 5, 2012 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

David Reidy

The head of the University of Tennessee Philosophy Department will discuss what moral principles, if any, ought to guide U.S. foreign policy during a Tuesday presentation to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

The presentation by philosophy professor David Reidy is titled Toward a Just Foreign Policy,” and it starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Reidy’s presentation will also discuss the relevance of human rights to U.S. foreign policy, a press release said.

The presentation is part of the biweekly Lunch with the League, and it is open to the public. There is no cost to attend, and reservations are not needed.

Box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for $7. Those who attend can also bring their own lunches. Coffee and tea will be provided.

Reidy received his doctorate from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Indiana University. He is a distinguished humanities professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee.

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Filed Under: Community, Top Stories Tagged With: David Reidy, foreign policy, human rights, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, philosophy professor, University of Tennessee Philosophy Department

UT professor discusses Arab Spring in Tuesday Lunch with the League

October 13, 2012 By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Robert B. Cunningham

A retired University of Tennessee professor who has taught in Syria and Jordan will discuss the Arab Spring and its impact on the Middle East and the United States during a Tuesday lecture in Oak Ridge.

The talk by Robert Cunningham, UT political science professor emeritus, starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Cunningham’s research and teaching interests have focused on issues related to public administration and the politics of the Middle East. From 1959 to 1962, he taught at Aleppo College in Aleppo, Syria. He returned to the Middle East in 1986 through a faculty exchange program at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan, and again in 1992 as a Fulbright Teacher and Scholar at Yarmouk University.

He has also conducted research in Marrakech, Morocco, and in Jordan.

Cunningham has a master’s degree and doctorate from Indiana University. He joined the UT faculty in 1972 and retired from full-time service at the end of the 2008-09 academic year.