I interviewed "Dalton" many years ago. "Dalton" was a name we used to disguise his real identity. He had been one of my students as a female and was undergoing a gender reassignment to be a male when we talked.

"Dalton" recently died, which caused me to find the old interview and listen to it once again.

Being transgender has become a topic that is currently a political lightning bolt with fierce, conflicting opinions.

This episode of This Conversation is a chance to turn down the heat and hear the personal story of why one person would undergo the expense, inconvenience, surgery, and frequent rejection that comes with such a move.

Dalton's story is worth hearing again.

We talk with Thomas Jefferson. What are his thoughts about writing the Declaration of Independence?

How can he justify the contradiction in his commitment to individual rights while simultaneously owning slaves?

You'll be amazed at how the issues in Jefferson's time mirror current philosophical perspectives on the role of government.

And in the latter part of the interview, we meet Kurt Smith who portrays Jefferson in his role with Colonial Williamsburg.

www.thejeffersonexperience@gmail.com

Former WCYB news anchor Julie Newman now runs PBS Appalachia, an all digital television station, operating from inside Hard Rock Bristol. After winning the highest honors for the station and leadership, she now faces the challenge of lost funding for PBS from the government. What is the mission of the station and why is it important? What is the path forward?

David and Jill Dalton live in the William King House in Abingdon. They've restored it and they're sharing it because of its significant history. In fact, the house now hosts a permanent Virginia Historic marker because William Clark -- of Lewis and Clark fame-- spent the night there. And William King was the richest man in the region at the time he built this first brick house -- WITH running water that came through hollowed out logs.

Hear the story of how the Daltons decided to move to Abingdon to buy and restore the house and to help preserve the importance of Abingdon in the early days of our country.

Through a renowned re-enactor, "Thomas Jefferson" will be making several presentations at the popular Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon July 25 through August 3, 2025. Guest Walter Jenny will describe several events that focus on important historical connections to Southwest Virginia. He'll explain why Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that the Battle of Kings Mountain was the turning point in the Revolutionary War and defeat of British Control. A group of 400 militia men began the march to that battle at the Muster Grounds in Abingdon Virginia.

Walter Jenny will offer more information about the battle in his own presentation on Thursday, July 31 at the Higher Education Center at 7:30 p.m.

Tens of thousands of people visit the festival each year for a variety of events, including music, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, food events, and more.

Find details on times and locations of events through this website. https://vahighlandsfestival.com/

Dr. Julia Adeney Thomas, a professor of History at Notre Dame, is part of a group that is working to rename the current epoch in the history of the earth to "Anthropocene." The "anthro" label suggests that the literal structure of the earth and its biosphere have been changed by human behaviors.

The proposition for the new name comes with objections.

How did Dr. Thomas, born in Abingdon, Virginia, and a professor of history come to the forefront of a controversial earth science question?

Scientific thought is the subject. Details in this episode of This Conversation.

Emory & Henry University is now offering a Certification in Addiction Counseling in the School of Health Sciences Clinical Mental Health Counseling Department at the School of Health Sciences.

Program Director Matthew Tirrell talks about the 12-credit post-Master's program and its requirements. He emphasizes the need for the program, both locally and nationally.

Those who may be interested in the program can visit the website

https://www.emoryhenry.edu/academics/clinical-mental-health-counseling/

Professor Tirrell can be reached directly at mtirrell@emoryhenry.edu

This episode features a member of TAKE ACTION SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA, one of the organizers of the NO KINGS protest in Abingdon, Virginia on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Guest Lynn Manweiler works with the local protest group that claims attendance of 700 people in one of the more than 2,000 protests held nationwide on the same day.

We look at the issues causing people to take to the streets, including claims of Presidential overreach in areas of immigration, free speech, and budget cuts that threaten those who have Medicaid health coverage.

Regarding the rights to free speech and the rights to protest, Manweiler talks about people who have been taken from the streets and sent to prison without due process. She talks about a protestor who was shot and killed as part of the nationwide protests in which her event was part. And yet, she persists in being part of the demonstrations and explains her motivations.