KACL Class Descriptions, Fall 2024

October 15 – November 22

Tuesday 10 a.m. – Noon
October 15: The City of Kingsport’s Leisure Services.
Michael Borders, assistant city manager, Kingsport native. He oversees Parks and Recreation, Kingsport Public Library, the Office of Cultural Arts, Bays Mountain, Kingsport Farmers Market, Kingsport Senior Center and Kingsport Aquatic Center. Michael will give us an update on Kingsport’s latest projects!

October 22: “American Visions-The United States, 1800-1860.”
Ed Ayers, author and educator, Kingsport native. Ed’s latest book, and the subject of this talk, will explore the critical era when the American nation and its culture took shape, focusing on the men and women who celebrated ideals of shared humanity and free expression.

October 29: The History of Meals on Wheels. (MOW)
Candace Sass, MOW volunteer for over 50 years. Candace will share about the beginnings of MOW, from its origins in the United Kingdom during World War II to its spread to the United States, and how it became an integral part of the Kingsport community. MOW of Kingsport is a volunteer driven organization with over 500 individuals who carry out a variety of duties from menu planning, cooking and delivery.

November 5: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Plastics.
Dan Firth, chemist and adjunct faculty, ETSU. Dan will discuss how EPR policies are based on the “polluter pays” principle and are generally implemented by governments via a set of rules and targets and how this impacts our community.

November 12: Building “caseSensitive Photos” Photography Business.
Jay Huron, professional photographer, owner of “caseSensitive Photos” photography business and Bays Mountain Park volunteer. Jay is the official photographer for the National Storytelling Festival, Johnson City Jazz Festival, Bristol in Bloom Art Festival. He will share his adventures in photography and in building his own photographic company.

November 19: Overview of Estate Planning.
Jim Williams, owner and managing attorney at Jim Williams and Associates, Williams Title and Closing Services, LLC, and municipal court judge for the Town of Mount Carmel, Tennessee. Jim will provide an overview of estate planning along with probate and property transfers prior to and after death and Medicare liens arising from long-term care.

Tuesday 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
October 15 through November 19: The Apostle Paul: From Antioch to Zeal, Part 2.
Dave Petke, retired chemist, studies and teaches church history and theology. When we left our hero, Paul, last fall, he had just completed his second missionary journey. We continue with Paul on his third journey as accounted for in the biblical book Acts of the Apostles and in his several letters and then on his final journey, as a prisoner, to Rome to appeal before Caesar, ending with his death in Rome. Time permitting in the term, we will look at some of the non-biblical traditions and theories about possible additional missionary journeys Paul may have made. Questions and discussion are encouraged!

Wednesday 10 a.m. – Noon
October 16: The Latest from the United States Supreme Court.  Leslie Lynch, retired trial attorney, represented primarily employers before the federal district, 9th Circuit and supreme courts. She will present the results of the recent session of the United States Supreme Court. Leslie will discuss several of the major decisions from this session and discuss what the court held, how the court got there, and the implications going forward and illustrate how the court works and its place in the United States federal judicial system.

October 23: Sherlock Holmes and His Creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Helen Sirett, retired engineer and Britophile. Helen will share the fascinating life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the world’s most famous fictional detective. Members will discuss two Sherlock Holmes short stories: “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Adventures of the Speckled Bird.” Hard copies are available in the office or you may access stories via the web, see below:
https://sherlock-holm.es/stories/pdf/a4/1-sided/scan.pdf https://sherlock-holm.es/stories/pdf/letter/1-sided/spec.pdf

October 30: The Kingsport City Schools (KCS) Vision.
Chris Hampton, KCS superintendent. Chris has served in several positions in the KCS: special education teacher, school counselor, assistant principal, secondary curriculum coordinator and principal. He will share his vision for the KCS.

November 6: The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Pollinator Habitat Program.
Mike Ross, assistant professor, UT, Knoxville. Mike translates ecological systems and relationships into design and management strategies. His research focuses on the intersection of ecology and urbanism with emphasis on ecological justice, ecosystem services, green infrastructure, rewilding and biodiversity in design at a variety of scales.

November 13: Photographic Journey of Provence, France.
Rick Currie, retired attorney and avid photographer, will take us on a multimedia tour from his latest travels to Provence, France. The “Kingsport Times News” spotlights many of Rick’s remarkable photos, and he is a favorite of KACL audiences.

November 20: All Things Eastman!
Eastman representatives will give an overview of Eastman, as well as the plastics recycling facility. A tour of Eastman will be available on Friday, November 22. Details for the tour will be shared by the Eastman representatives.

Thursday 10 a.m. – Noon
October 17: A Snapshot History of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Its Neighbors.
Greg Case, novelist, cartoonist and East Tennessee native. Greg will discuss excerpts from the book “Over the Hill and Back to the 80s” showing editorial cartoons depicting events at UT and around the world during the early 1980s. He will also include a brief history of midcentury modern architecture in the United States.

October 31: The Process of Researching and Writing Biographical Fiction.
Patricia Hudson, freelance writer for over 35 years, specializing in historical and travel topics. Patricia will share about the research and writing of her novel, “Traces,” which is a retelling of the Daniel Boone saga through the eyes of Boone’s wife, Rebecca, and their two oldest daughters, Savannah and Jemima. Some of the dramatic experiences of the Boone family occurred in the Kingsport area. She will discuss the importance of writing stories about women from America’s past.

November 7: The History of the McClaskey Excellence Institute.
David McClaskey, executive coach, consultant, conference presenter, trainer and Baldridge expert. David will share his experiences with assisting seven companies win eight Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards.

Thursday 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
October 17 – November 21: The Surprising Lives of Christian Saints.
Marie O’Neill and Kathie Owens will facilitate this five-week study presented by “The Great Courses” exploring the saints honored through the ages as models of how to live a good and holy life.

• October 17: Introduction and Overview-Who are the saints; sainthood process

• October 31: Biblical Era Saints-Separating fact from fiction when the historical record is sparse

• November 7: Multicultural Saints-Diversity in race, ethnicity, geography among saints

• November 14: Non-Catholic Christian Saints-Saints honored in Protestant churches

• November 21: Modern Time Saints-Saints in our lifetime; saints names in secular life

FIELD TRIPS:
• Thursday, October 24, Barter Theatre, 127 West Main Street, Abingdon, Virginia                        Registration Deadline: Tuesday, October 15. (The first day of class.)                                                “Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Jersey Lily”

Directions:
Via Interstate 81 North, take Exit 17, turn left onto Cummings Street, turn right onto Main Street at the second traffic light.
Parking:
Turn right onto Partington Place just past The Martha Washington Inn.

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, October 15. (The first day of class.)

• Meet Gwen in the Barter Theatre lobby at 1:30 p.m. for tickets.
• Matinee performance begins promptly at 2 p.m.

Cost: $40 per person (cash or check payable to KACL, no credit cards)

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• Friday, November 1, Manhattan Project National Historic Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee                  Registration Deadline: Friday, October 18. You must register in person at the ETSU at Kingsport Downtown office because of required chartered bus field trip paperwork.

Join your KACL friends for a delightful outing that includes self-guided tours of
the American Museum of Science and Energy and K-25 History Center Museum.
Enjoy traveling and visiting together via “Premier Transportation” chartered coach with amenities.

7:45 a.m.: Meet at Ingles Market, 4335 Ft. Henry Drive, Kingsport, in Colonial Heights,
to load the bus. Bus departs promptly at 8 a.m. and returns approximately 5:30 p.m.

• 10 a.m.-Noon: Tour the American Museum of Science and Energy
• 12:15-1:15 p.m.: “Dutch Treat” Lunch at Calhoun’s
• 1:45-3:30 p.m.: Tour the K-25 History Center Museum

Cost: $40 per person (cash or check payable to KACL, no credit cards) The museums cost $8 per person (cash only) and the optional bus driver gratuity will be collected by Gwen on the bus.