Teachers Learning Abroad (TLab) Dinner
2025-11-13 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Denver) | The University Club of Denver, 1673 Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado, 80203, United States
Please join ESU Denver Branch members in the Terrace Room at The University Club of Denver on Thursday evening, November 13, 2025, from 6 to 9 pm, as we hear Ben Butler and Katie Cunningham describe their summer studies in the UK. Both TLab scholars attended Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance at Shakespeare’s Globe, and we are excited to learn how it is impacting their teaching and their plans to help with the Denver Branch Shakespeare Competition at DCPA on February 22, 2026.

Menu:

Bread and Butter

U Club Salad – Mixed Greens, Goat Cheese, Dried Cherry, Candied Walnuts, Granny Smith Apple, Balsamic Vinaigrette
Choice of Entrée:
6oz Baseball Cut NY Strip w/ Rosemary Demi-Glace
Pan-Seared Salmon w/ Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce

Both Entrées served with Sides:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Seasonal Roasted Vegetables

Dessert:
Chocolate Mouse with Whipped Cream, Shaved Chocolate, Strawberry

There will be a cash bar.
Reservation deadline 10/30/2025.

Questions? Call 303.755.1752 or email denver@esuus.org.

Reservation Form to Purchase Tickets Online
Reservation Form for Payment by Check

Exploring Shakespeare’s Women: A Professional Development Workshop
2025-11-15 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Denver)
Join the ESU for an exclusive online professional development workshop live via Zoom from Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Explore four of Shakespeare’s most fascinating women—Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice, and Hero—through an interactive session connecting critical writing with rehearsal-room practice. Gain fresh strategies for engaging students with themes of gender, relationships, and power in Shakespeare’s works.

Ideal for secondary English and drama teachers, especially those involved in the ESU National Shakespeare Competition. Participants may be eligible for Professional Development credit.

The Earl and Countess of Derby Invite the English-Speaking Union to A Magical Holiday Weekend at Knowsley Hall
2025-11-20 00:00 - 2025-11-23 23:59 UTC
The Earl and Countess of Derby Invite the English-Speaking Union toA Magical Holiday Weekend at Knowsley HallPrescot, Merseyside L34 4AG EnglandNovember 20–23, 2025

From $2,500 pp double / $3,400 pp single in an Executive SuiteUpgrades to Deluxe and Royal Suite/Lord Derby’s Suite available

Step into the enchantment of the holiday season with an exclusive invitation from the Earl and Countess of Derby to spend a luxurious weekend at historic Knowsley Hall, a magnificent estate nestled in the English countryside.

Knowsley Hall has been in the ownership of the Stanley family for over 600 years. Set within 2,500 acres of a private walled estate, located near Liverpool, the hall has been welcoming royalty and distinguished guests since 1495.

For more information or to secure your reservation contact Rossana Ivanova, rivanova@esuus.org, (862) 224-4244.

Annual Holiday Party & Writing Competition Awards Presentation
2025-12-07 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Denver) | Denver Woman’s Press Club, 1325 Logan St., Denver, Colorado, 80203
Awards will be presented to the winning students of the 16th Annual Dr. Howard F. Beckley Writing Competition. This year’s prompt is Allegory in Art Beyond Literature.

Guests will hear the students read their award-winning entries.Refreshments will be provided.

The event is free of charge as a gift to Denver Branch members.

Happy Hour: A Brief History of Toys for Tots
2025-12-10 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Denver)
From its humble beginnings in 1947, the wife of a Marine Reserve Major wanted todonate dolls to a charity that would distribute the toys to children in need. Sheconvinced her husband to create one. He looked to fellow Marine reservists to get thejob done. The project was a huge success and was officially adopted by the MarineCorps in 1948 and went nationwide almost immediately.

Today, Toys for Tots is recognized as an official activity of the Marine Corps and part ofthe official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. For the past 77 years, the Toys for Totsprogram along with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve have led a campaign to collect newand unwrapped toys, providing millions of gifts annually to underprivileged childrenduring the holiday season.

Today’s Happy Hour guest speaker is Major Gunnar Spafford, USMC (Ret.) who is theDeputy Vice President of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The Foundation hassupported Toys for Tots since 1991. Major Spafford will describe the history of Toys forTots and how it has become a worldwide program. The Major will also explain the goalsof the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

This ESU Happy Hour is sponsored by the ESU Sandhills Branch. ESU Happy Hour programs are online, free to attend, and open to all members and the public. Registration is required to receive the webinar link.

About Major Gunnar Spafford, USMC (Ret.)

Major Spafford joined the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation in August 2023 as the Deputy Vice President of Business Development working within the Marketing & Development department. Major Spafford served in the United States Marine Corps as both an enlisted infantryman and a military police officer before being competitively selected for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program to receive education and training to become a Marine Corps Officer.

As a Military Policeman, he served in multiple billets to include Assistant Special Operations Chief, Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of a weapons storage facility, Watch Command, Patrol Supervisor, Special Reaction Team (SRT), and SRT sniper. As an officer, Major Spafford served as Deputy Provost Marshal, Executive Officer, Operations Officer, and Senior Operations Officer before fulfilling his final role as a Manpower Program Manager for Headquarters Marine Corps, Manpower & Reserve Affairs.

After 25 total years of service, Gunnar retired from the Marine Corps and continued as a strategic and innovative Project Management Professional with a diverse background in program leadership and process improvements, most recently working as the Deputy Director for Manpower & Personnel for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Join the Churchill Society of New York and the English-Speaking Union for a discussion on "Churchill and the Middle East"
2026-01-13 16:00 - 18:00 UTC
We would like to invite you to an evening of discussion with David Freeman, Director of Publications and Editor of “Finest Hour” at the International Churchill Society, who will discuss “Churchill and The Middle East.” Through the desperate twists and turns of the First World War, Britain made various commitments, especially with regard to the Middle East, in the search for allies in their cause. These included the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration, alliances with Arab leaders, and acceptance of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points. In the aftermath of the war, the Ottoman Empire having collapsed, the British had to try to make good on this thicket of often conflicting promises. The man chosen to resolve the problem was Winston Churchill. Advised by T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) and Gertrude Bell, Churchill presided over a series of meetings and decisions in 1921–22 that gave rise to the Middle East as we know it today. Mr. Freeman earned his Ph.D. in modern British history at Texas A&M University and has taught classes on world history, US history, European history, British history, and the Second World War (all with a heavy emphasis on Winston Churchill) at California State University, Fullerton, Coastline Community College and Saddleback College. Mr. Freeman is also qualified as a US Navy fast-attack submarine nuclear reactor operator. Mr. Freeman has published numerous articles about Winston Churchill, including “These Thankless Deserts,” Winston Churchill and the Middle East: An Introduction. For the first time, the US International Public Speaking Competition Finals will be held at the ESU in NYC on April 24th to select the Delegate to send to London with a speech to celebrate the impact of two powerful public speakers — Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Both former presidents of the ESU embodied different but complementary traditions of leadership through speech.

The American Revolution: A Civil and a World War
2026-01-14 15:00 - 16:00 UTC
As the calendar turns to 2026, The English-Speaking Union of the United States begins a year-long celebration of 250 years of American independence. Throughout the year, ESU will feature several Happy Hours that give us an opportunity to pause and reflect on this historic milestone.

The American Revolution was a war unlike any other—one of ideas and ideals, that shaped “the course of human events.” With 165 principal engagements from 1775-1783, the Revolutionary War was the catalyst for American independence. The Revolutionary War was not just a civil war conflict between colonists who remained loyal to the Crown and those who sought independence from British rule. When other European powers like France and Spain officially entered the war, it expanded into a global clash of empires—a veritable World War.

Today’s Happy Hour guest speaker, Dr. Henry (Phil) Williams III, president of ESU’s Charlottesville, VA Branch, will describe the early beginnings of the war from 1775 through 1783. He will illustrate the eight-year conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies beginning with the Battles of Lexington and Concord and ending with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally recognized American independence.

Williams will explain that the true history of the Revolution must not be taught just from an American-centric focus, but also how England, the Commonwealth, and Europe viewed and, in fact, taught this period of history quite differently.

Join us as the ESU launches a journey toward this landmark event as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This Happy Hour is sponsored by the ESU Charlottesville, VA Branch. ESU Happy Hour programs are online, free to attend, and open to all members and the public. Registration is required to receive the webinar link.

About Dr. Henry (Phil) Williams III

Dr. Williams is originally from Michigan. He received degrees and diplomas from Culver Military Academy, the University of Virginia, the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, the University of Florence, Italy, and two Master’s and a Doctorate in International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University.

He has lived in four foreign countries and has studied and worked professionally in four foreign languages: French, Greek, Italian, and Turkish.

Formerly a Wall Street and International Investment Banker, he currently lectures on a variety of topics, including American History, Turkey, and the Middle East. He has been featured on National Public Radio related to several of his interests, has written many news commentary pieces on Turkey and the Middle East, and has published scholarly articles on Ottoman and Turkish Law. He has been teaching a course at Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye, titled “Turkey and America, East and West – Where the Twain Meet” since 2015.

Dr. Williams is the President of the Charlottesville Branch of the English-Speaking Union and a past Virginia State President of the Sons of the American Revolution with which he is still active. He served on the board of the American Friends of Turkey for over twenty-three years. He is an avid sportsman with keen interests in equestrian pursuits, racquet sports and swimming. He also inherited a love of Antique and Classic cars and has been active in his local car club for many years. Marilyn Williams is his wife, and they have two grown children, Margaret and Phillip.

What did a Revolutionary Period Happy Hour Look Like?

The Founding Fathers drank a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, including whiskey, rum, ale, beer, cider, wine (Madeira, claret, and champagne), and punch. Popular drinks often served at official functions included Madeira wine and various punches. Many of the founders had specific preferences; for example, John Adams favored hard cider and Madeira, while George Washington was a fan of whiskey and Madeira. Non-alcoholic drinks like cider, small beer (a low-alcohol brew), and coffee were also commonly consumed for refreshment and social reasons.

2026 Annual General Meeting
2026-04-23 00:00 - 2026-04-25 23:59 UTC
The English-Speaking Union welcomes its members to NYC for the 2026 ESU Annual Conference on April 23rd-25th, 2026. The conference, under the theme “United by Language, Inspired by Liberty.” The conference program will include the ESU 2026 Annual General Meeting, social events such as receptions and meals, breakout sessions, panel discussions, and local tours. We invite you to participate in the camaraderie and help us advance our programs that support teachers, students, and recent immigrants.

HIGHLIGHTS

Revolution in Old New York: Soldiers, Spies & Statesmen of the American Revolution Walking Tour: Trace the footsteps of revolution through Manhattan’s past and present.Lunch on historic Stone Street or Fraunces TavernOne of New York City’s oldest surviving streets, originally paved in 1658.andArt of the Gilded Age at The Met Museum Guided TourUncover the brilliance and forgotten voices of the Gilded Age at The Met.

We will thank our National Patrons for their generous support at a special reception and lecture on Saturday, April 25, from 6 pm to 8 pm. A Conversation with Author Flora Fraser, English writer of historical biographies & Doug Bradburn, President & CEO of Mount Vernon. The Loyalist & The Patriot: A fight for freedom and our first civil war.The event will take place at The Players, located at 16 Gramercy Park South, New York

Our Conference venue will be held at the ESU House, 144 East 39th Street, and the Shelbourne-Sonesta Hotel, 303 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016.. We have a special hotel room which will be available Thursday night through Saturday night. Hotel prices do not include taxes or additional fees, and prices are valid through March 23, 2026. We will have a special opportunity to see the USA finals for the International Public Speaking Competition. Space is limited, first-come-first-served.

Print Registration Form: https://www.esuus.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-AGM-One-Sheeter-v7.pdf

Online Registration Available Soon!
