Join us on Tuesday, November 17th, 2026, as we are honored to welcome back historian and author Tim McGrath as he presents his award-winning book, James Monroe – A Life. Our lectures are very popular and have sold out in the past so please make your reservations now. Each lecture will be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. All beverages are included with the exception of alcoholic beverages which can be purchased for an additional charge. The all-inclusive price includes the dinner buffet, non-alcoholic beverages, gratuity, taxes, the lecture, and a donation to the Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund. Please make your reservation now as there is limited seating. (add Link) Each lecture will be Revolutionary War themed and will begin after dinner in the upstairs seating area. You must settle your bill for any alcohol beverages before you go to the lecture room. Speakers may bring books along to sign and sell after each lecture so make sure to purchase one before you leave. Monroe lived a life defined by revolutions. From the battlefields of the War for Independence to his ambassadorship in Paris in the days of the guillotine, to his own role in the creation of Congress's partisan divide, he was a man who embodied the restless spirit of the age. He was never one to back down from a fight, whether it be with Alexander Hamilton, with whom he nearly engaged in a duel (prevented, ironically, by Aaron Burr), or George Washington, his hero turned political opponent. This magnificent new biography vividly re-creates the epic sweep of Monroe’s life: his near-death wounding at Trenton and a brutal winter at Valley Forge; his pivotal negotiations with France over the Louisiana Purchase; his deep, complex friendships with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; his valiant leadership when the British ransacked the nation’s capital and burned down the Executive Mansion; and Monroe’s lifelong struggle to reckon with his own complicity in slavery. Elected the fifth president of the United States in 1816, this fiercest of partisans sought to bridge divisions and sow unity, calming turbulent political seas and inheriting Washington's mantle of placing country above party. Over his two terms, Monroe transformed the nation, strengthening American power both at home and abroad. Critically acclaimed author Tim McGrath has consulted an extensive array of primary sources, many rarely seen since Monroe's own time, to conjure up this fascinating portrait of an essential American statesman and president. Tim McGrath has his BA in History, from Temple University in 1974. He is a business executive who lives outside of Philadelphia. He has served on the board of directors of Independence Seaport Museum, Fort Mifflin on the Delaware, New Courtland Elder Services, the Kearsley Retirement Community (founded by Benjamin Franklin’s physician), Philadelphia Senior Centers, and Christ Church Hospital. His many interests, including tennis, horseback riding, and sailing, are limited only by creaking knees and a fickle rotator cuff. Over the years he has written articles on management, U.S. history, and healthcare issues for various newspapers and magazines. With his son, Ted (an award-winning freelance illustrator), he wrote Travels with the Commodore, a children’s book published for the Philadelphia Port Authority’s community reading program. Despite his terrible typing, he’s at work on a new biography on James Monroe for NAL/Penguin Books.