David Holman is a semi-retired education teacher from California whose youthful dream of being a university professor was interrupted by life’s circumstances. Moving out to Tennessee in 2017, Dave was thrilled to learn about the ORICL program at Roane State, and has given many lectures on various Historical characters (and is one of ORICL’s most popular history teachers).

Dave will speak about President James Madison - but not in the way that you would expect. Most Americans know little about Mr. Madison other than he was fourth President of the U.S. He is probably the most unsung of the founding fathers. In an age of no high-speed anything, this small statured man was the driving force behind the consensus-making of the U.S. Constitution. Because of his constant and relentless drive, Madison managed to forge - almost single handedly - this consensus through back-door discussions, negotiations, and compromises unknown to most of us today. The outcome was our US Constitution and it was truly a Miracle in Philadelphia.

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.