Maryville College to host Lamar Alexander book-signing on June 4 at Downtown Center
May 20, 2026
Maryville College, in conjunction with Neighborly Books in downtown Maryville, will host former Tennessee governor and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Thursday, June 4, for a special evening celebrating the release of his new memoir, “The Education of a Senator — From JFK to Trump: A Personal History.”
The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Maryville College Downtown Center and will include a conversation with Alexander followed by a book signing. Admission details and ticket information are available through Eventbrite.
Alexander, a former Tennessee governor, U.S. senator, U.S. secretary of education and university president, traces his life and career across six decades of American political history in the memoir, which was released May 19 by Post Hill Press. Drawing upon his work alongside 10 U.S. presidents, Alexander reflects on public service, political leadership and the evolving challenges facing American democracy.
“At a moment when many Americans are wondering whether our republic can survive, former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander offers a rare and encouraging voice drawn from his work with 10 presidents and a lifetime spent viewing the public arena from as many angles as any living American,” the publisher wrote in announcing the book.
The memoir includes personal reflections and behind-the-scenes stories from Alexander’s years as a White House aide, governor, cabinet secretary, presidential candidate and senator, as well as lessons he says he learned throughout his public life.
Alexander maintains longstanding ties to Maryville College and East Tennessee. The College’s planned new science facility, the Alexander Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Sciences, is named in honor of Alexander and his family in recognition of their enduring support for conservation, education and public service. The future facility will expand opportunities for environmental science, outdoor studies and interdisciplinary learning while strengthening the College’s connection to the Great Smoky Mountains and Southern Appalachian region.
A seventh-generation Tennessean, Alexander grew up in Maryville and has long championed conservation efforts connected to the Great Smoky Mountains and the broader Appalachian region.
In praise of the memoir, historian and author Jon Meacham called the book “a vivid and surprising memoir,” adding that Alexander “has given his life to a country that needs to hear what he has to say.” Filmmaker Ken Burns described the memoir as “a reminder of what a great man committed to virtue and reason can accomplish.”
Doors to the Downtown Center — located at 18 E. Church Ave. in downtown Maryville — for the June 4 event will open at 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., Alexander will take part in a Q&A interview with local journalist Brittany Tarwater of WVLT-TV, after which Alexander will sign copies for those in attendance.
Copies of “The Education of a Senator” will be available for purchase at the event through Neighborly Books. The event is free and open to the public, but because space is limited, an RSVP is required to attend.