Joseph M. Bagley is the city archaeologist of Boston, a historic preservationist, and a staff member of the Boston Landmarks Commission. He has worked for multiple local and state historic preservation offices, including the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. In 2016, he published his award-winning first book, A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts (Brandeis University Press). Robert J. Allison is a professor of History at Suffolk University and a lecturer at the Harvard Extension School. He holds several appointments with local historical organizations, including serving as president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and chair of Revolution 250. He is a life trustee of the USS Constitution Museum and an elected fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Allison is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776-1815 (OUP, 1995); Stephen Decatur, American Naval Hero, 1779-1820, A Short History of Boston, and Revolutionary Sites of Greater Boston.
Old South Meeting House
Bob Cordy needs little introduction in this venue —or in the world of Massachusetts jurisprudence. A former board member of Revolutionary Spaces, Bob served 16 years as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, our state’s highest court, and, notably, held the Court’s Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. seat during his tenure there. Until recently a partner at the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, Bob now sits in judgment of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Richard “RJ” Lyman is a lawyer in Boston. He is also author of the new Substack newsletter “History, Looking Ahead,” which explores various aspects of the past in Boston, the Commonwealth, and beyond, with particular focus on their continuing relevance to the challenges and opportunities of today. He previously served as a senior advisor to former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and currently serves on various for-profit and nonprofit boards. For 20 years, he lived next to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.’s summer house in Beverly Farms. Dr. Todd Peppers is a political science professor in the Department of Public Affairs at Roanoke College as well as a visiting professor of law at the Washington and Lee School of Law. He earned his undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee University, his JD at the University of Virginia School of Law, and his PhD in Political Science at Emory University. His areas of research and writing include the death penalty (he has co-authored three books on the topic) and Supreme Court history. His first play, Holmes, premiered in 2023. Dr. Peppers is currently working on a biography of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. Ed O’Connell is the Civic Engagement Manager at Revolutionary Spaces. A lawyer by training, a civic education advocate by profession, and a Holmes devotee by ardent avocation, O’Connell is also responsible for overseeing the slate of public programs at Revolutionary Spaces.
Old South Meeting House
Sarah Kauss
New England Aquarium
Sugata Bose
Boston Public Library - Rabb Lecture Hall
Stephanie Baker
Foley & Lardner LLP
Kori Schake leads the foreign and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author of Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony, and a contributing writer at The Atlantic, War on the Rocks, and Bloomberg.
Boston Public Library - Rabb Lecture Hall
For the latest information regarding each event please contact the presenting organization.