Alan C Lowe is the Director of the American Museum of Science and Energy and the K-25 History Center. Alan’s career sums up his love of American history. He received both his B.A. and M.A in History at the University of Kentucky. He has served in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives; and was interim Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. He was the founding Executive Director of the Howard H Baker Center for public policy at UTK; appointed the founding director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and then went on to become the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He loves teaching the history of the Presidents and their wives.

Alan will speak on the indomitable and fabulous Abigail Adams, wife and life-long companion/chronicler of John Adams. While he was in Boston and Philadelphia attending to the business of creating an American Revolution, she and their children were living in the midst of the fighting. Among other glorious things, she threatened a women’s uprising if the founding fathers did not take care of the "ladies" by giving them their rights also (at first, John thought that she was actually joking). In this uncertain time and during very long absences by John, Abigail saw to it that she and their children survived and thrived. Small pox was rampant in the troops surrounding her and her town and accounted for large numbers of deaths. The small pox vaccine was new and controversial to some, and not delivered by injection but by cutting the skin with a knife. So she marched off to Boston to receive it - and so did her kids. 

The Lunch With the League (LWL) is scheduled for the first and third Tuesdays of each month (except September 2026) from September through May. The League meets in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Lunches may be purchased for a nominal fee beginning at 11:30 a.m. (eastern time) or attendees may bring their own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. The presentation by the speaker begins at 12:00 noon, followed by a question-and-answer session. Members of the public are welcome to attend these interesting and informative events. 

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the LWL Lecture Series will devote most of our Fall season with some of the most eloquent and fascinating historians on early American history in our area; each presentation will have a twist that you may not anticipate. Because of some schedule constraints or conflicts, two of these lectures will be held during the Spring season.