Join us as Bill Haslam, former mayor of Knoxville and governor of Tennessee, discusses his new book, Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square, on September 16 at 6:30 pm.
Retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade will join Haslam for this special “Tennessee Conversation” event, to be held in the sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Knoxville.
The publisher, Thomas Nelson, notes that “Haslam has long been at the center of politics and policy on local, state, and federal levels, and he has consistently been guided by his faith, which influenced his actions on a wide range of issues. Yet the place of faith in public life has been hotly debated since our nation’s founding, and the relationship of church and state remains contentious to this day.”
He continues that “Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square calls for a different way. Drawing upon his years of public service, Haslam will discuss his remarkable vision for the redemptive role of faith in politics while examining some of the most complex issues of our time.”
Bill Haslam is the former two-term mayor of Knoxville and former two-term governor of Tennessee, reelected in 2014 with the largest victory margin of any gubernatorial election in Tennessee history. During his tenure, Tennessee became the fastest improving state in the country in K-12 education and the first state to provide free community college or technical school for all its citizens, in addition to adding 475,000 new jobs. Haslam serves on the boards of Teach for America and Young Life. In the fall of 2019, Haslam became a visiting professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. He and his wife of 38 years, Crissy, have three children and nine grandchildren.
Gary Wade worked as a private practice attorney in his hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee, where he was elected mayor in 1977 and served five successive terms. He then became a judge for the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals for 19 years and was its presiding judge for eight of those years. Former Governor Phil Bredesen appointed Wade to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2006, where he also served as the court’s chief justice for two years. Wade retired from the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2015, then serving as vice president and dean of Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law until he retired in 2020. He now holds a position at Knoxville law firm London Amburn.
Books will be available for purchase and signing following the event. If you would like to buy books beforehand, hardback copies are available from the Museum of East Tennessee History’s gift shop. You may pre-order your copy prior to attending the event, and we will have it ready for pick up upon your arrival. We will also ship signed or unsigned books. To order, call 865-215-8830 or 865-215-8825.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 25, 2021)
Hardback: 240 pages
Dimensions: 6.2 X 0.95 X 9.3 inches
Item Weight: 13.9 ozs.
Info needed for shipping: Name, preferred shipping address, billing address, and complete information on method of payment (Please note if you would like a signed or unsigned copy.)
Info needed for day-of sales: Name, billing address, and complete information on method of payment
Purchase price per book: $26.99
Sales Tax: $2.50
Total per book for pick up: $29.49
Shipping Cost: $5.00
Total per book shipped: $34.49
Shipping cost per additional book: $2.00
Members receive a 10% discount! Please let us know you are a valued ETHS member when calling.
→
While Americans celebrate July 4, 1776, as the birth of the nation, the story of independence unfolded very differently on the Appalachian frontier. In what is now East Tennessee, settlers and Cherokee communities faced years of conflict, diplomacy, and uncertainty as the American Revolution reshaped the region. This article explores how the fight for independence was experienced beyond Philadelphia, where the meaning of freedom was forged in frontier cabins, forts, and contested lands.
→
As Tennessee marks the 230th anniversary of its admission to the Union, it is worth remembering that statehood was neither simple nor inevitable. From the failed State of Franklin to the creation of the Southwest Territory and eventual statehood in 1796, Tennessee’s story reflects the challenges and opportunities of building a new nation on the Appalachian frontier.
→
By Kristin Brig
published in the Journal of East Tennessee History, Vol 88, 2016