To view the recorded program, click HERE.

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge welcomes the community to Lunch With the League from 12:00 PM EST – 1:00 PM EST, Tuesday, February 15, 2022. In an effort to keep everyone safe during this time of pandemic, the gathering will again be virtual. Those who desire to gain access to the meeting may do so by following the instructions provided at the close of this article.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee will present the compelling stories of five American soldiers captured and held as prisoners of war by the Germans in World War II. Personal history led Justice Lee to her interest in WWII, specifically, POWs and how their experiences shaped their lives after release. Justice Lee’s father was a WWII POW. Although Justice Lee describes her family as being very patriotic and her father faithfully flying an American Flag, their family did not talk about her father’s war-time experiences when she was growing up. Her interest in WWII POWs was sparked by Soldiers and Slaves, a book shared with her by then Chancellor Arnold Goldin from Memphis, which later led her to research and prepare a presentation entitled American Heroes With Common Bonds. This presentation tells the story of five POWs—David Goldin, Hugh Ross, Harold Leibowitz, Charles Lee (Justice Lee’s father), and Bruce Foster, Sr.—whose children became lawyers and judges. Their common story is that of optimism, discipline, and an enormous desire to live. Once home, they raised families and instilled in their children a sense of patriotism and a desire to serve. When the daily media is filled with divisive news, it is worthwhile to be reminded that patriotism is what binds us together as Americans and keeps us focused on building a more just democracy.

Justice Lee has served on the Tennessee Supreme Court for the past thirteen years. She graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Business and the University of Tennessee College of Law. She was in private practice from 1978 until 2004, when she was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Justice Lee was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2008, elected in 2010, and re-elected in 2014. She was Chief Justice from 2014 until 2016. Additionally, Justice Lee has served on the Knoxville Bar Association Board of Governors, as President of East Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women, and as a Board member for the Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women, the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Knoxville YWCA, and the Monroe County Boys and Girls Club. She has also served as a fellow of the American, Tennessee, and Knoxville Bar Foundations and as an honorary member of the 2014 Congressional Medal of Honor Convention Committee.