A Brown Bag Lecture with Dewaine Speaks and Ray Clift
Tennesseans played prominent roles in World War II, from diplomatic efforts on the eve of war to work on the Manhattan Project. Defense-related industries such as the Aluminum Company of America, Rohm & Hass Chemical Company, and the Fulton Sylphon Company were vital to the war effort and became targets of enemy espionage. In a Brown Bag Lecture on June 15, Dewaine Speaks and Ray Clift will discuss their new book “East Tennessee in World War II,” the first comprehensive account of the accomplishments of East Tennessee soldiers and civilians during this critical time in the nation’s history. The book will be available for purchase and signing following the lecture.
Dewaine Speaks has a B.A. from the University of Tennessee where he was a member of the Volunteers baseball team. He served in the United States Air Force, the Tennessee Air National Guard, and is currently a member of the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard. Dewaine retired from Robertshaw Controls Company where he was a national sales manager. He is a member of the Authors Guild of Tennessee and has published several works including an international travel guide and a biography on Weston Fulton. Ray Clift holds both a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Tennessee. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Management from Walden University and was a member of the United States Air Force and the Georgia Air National Guard. Dr. Clift worked as an Engineering Graphics and Mathematics Instructor at the University of Georgia before joining Rohm & Haas Chemical Company, from which he retired.
The program is sponsored by the Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel & Crematorium and is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call (865)215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org.
