Gary Powers
TUSCUMBIA-Francis Gary Powers, Jr. is the son of the most famous Cold War pilot, Francis Gary Powers, Sr., who was shot down in a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in 1960. He has spent many years searching for answers to questions about his father and the events of his capture.
His lecture, entitled “The U-2 Incident: A Son’s Search for the Truth” will take place at Tuscumbia’s Roundhouse on Wednesday, 31 October 2018, located at 204 W. 5th St. in Tuscumbia beginning at 11 a.m.
The Helen Keller Public Library, the City of Tuscumbia and the Tuscumbia Parks and Recreation Department are sponsors of the event. Tickets are $15.00 and include lunch. Tickets can be purchased at the Helen Keller Public Library located at 511 North Main Street, Tuscumbia, AL. The proceeds will help fund library programs. For information call: 256-383-7065.
Gary’s research and co-author of the book “Letters from a Soviet Prison” comprises a collection of his father’s letters home and a journal while his father, Francis Gary Powers Sr., was held captive by the Soviets. It is a riveting account of his father having taken off in his U-2 flying from Peshawar, Pakistan on a CIA reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union where a Soviet SA-2 surface to air missile exploded near the jet at 70,500 feet over the city of Sverdlovsk forcing him to bail out resulting in his capture, interrogation and eventual release.
The U-2 Incident gained renewed notoriety by Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies,” a 2015 film where Powers served as technical advisor concerned with how the U-2 pilot might be portrayed.
Powers Jr. founded The Cold War Museum in 1996 to honor Cold War veterans, preserve Cold War history, and educate future generations about this time period. He lectures internationally, is married and has one son.
Media Release/Thomas McKnight
