To view the recording for this program, click here.

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge welcomes the community to its next Lunch with the League at Noon on Tuesday, February 2. The speaker will be Dr. Mark T. Banker, a retired teacher of History and World Religions at Webb School in Knoxville. The gathering will be virtual and may be accessed by following instructions provided below.

Graduating with a B.A. from Warren Wilson College in 1973 and from the University of Virginia in 1975 with a M.A.T. in history and education, Dr. Banker completed a PhD in History at the University of New Mexico in 1987 where his research interests focused on the cultural interaction between “Anglo” newcomers, primarily Presbyterian missionaries, and the peoples they encountered in the Southwest, including Native-Americans, Hispanos, and Mormons. His research culminated in the 1992 publication of Presbyterian Missions and Cultural Interaction in the Far Southwest, 1850-1950 by the University of Illinois Press.

The unexpected death of his father in 1986 brought Dr. Banker home to the Roane County farm where he was raised and to the Webb School of Knoxville, where he taught for the next 29 years. Since his return to East Tennessee, he has been actively engaged in Appalachian Studies, culminating in 2010 with the publication of Appalachians All: East Tennesseans & the Elusive History of an American Region by the University of Tennessee Press.

“The US Since 1945: Prologue to a Polarizing & Puzzling Present,” the topic of Dr. Banker’s February 2 presentation to the League of Women Voters, reflects his ongoing concern to interpret what he has learned about the American and human experience in his 40 years of teaching for broad audiences seeking to make sense of the current puzzling, historical chapter in which we are living. His presentation will serve as a preview of a course by that title he will begin offering beginning February 18th through the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL). (Contact the ORICL office for further information).

Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to this informative presentation. For instruction on linking to the live presentation, contact maryannreeves1 [at] att.net. A couple of days later, you may view the recorded session on the League’s website (https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge).

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is a nonpartisan political organization for men and women. It encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.