ETEC - Senator Lamar Alexander, Former U.S. Senator and Tennessee Governor

Join us at ETEC, in person or virtually, on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 7:30 am - 8:30 am to hear from Former U. S. Senator & Tennessee Governor, Lamar Alexander. Senator Alexander recently released his 568-page memoir, The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump, on May 19, 2026. The book offers a remarkable inside look at his six-decade career working with ten presidents, while championing bipartisanship, pragmatic leadership, and the preservation of democratic institutions. The first 150 ETEC meeting attendees will receive a free copy of the book! Distribution tickets for a complimentary copy of Senator Alexander's memoir, The Education of a Senator, will be available beginning at 7:00 am, while supplies last. Senator Alexander will sign copies following the presentation. Limit one book per person. See bio below. No registration is necessary for in-person attendance. Register in advance for the VIRTUAL #ETEConline meeting here: tennessee.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrd-CgrDMiHNTsDsHqH0FyubCh2ys57LzH#/registration For more information about ETEC’s weekly meetings, click here. Visit the Find Us page for the meeting location, address, and map. Former U. S. Senator and Tennessee Governor, Lamar Alexander Lamar Alexander has long been known as one of America’s most principled and effective statesmen. As US Senator, Alexander shepherded major laws that today govern K–12 education, medical innovation, and maintenance of our national parks. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “For eighteen years, there was Lamar Alexander, and there was the rest of us. He was hands-down one of the most brilliant, most thoughtful, and most effective legislators any of us have ever seen.” As governor, Alexander brought the auto industry to Tennessee and made it the first state to pay teachers more for teaching well. He was chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the nation’s governors, and of President Reagan’s “Commission on Americans Outdoors.” He served as US Education Secretary and as a university president. Alexander was also known for campaigning in a plaid shirt and performing on the piano with twenty-seven symphonies and on the Grand Ol’ Opry. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and New York University Law School. He and his late wife Honey were married for fifty-four years, had four children and nine grandchildren. His parents were teachers. A seventh generation Tennessean, Alexander lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains near Maryville where he grew up. This is his tenth book, all written by the author himself. About the Book A behind-the- scenes story of the last sixty years of American politics, told with purpose and humor by a political legend who worked with ten presidents, made deals with both Obama and Trump, and believes that serving in public office is the best way to help the largest number of people and to keep our Republic from falling apart. AtkinsRéalis sponsors this month's ETEC Friday Morning Meeting Series.