Son of Cold War Pilot Francis Gary Powers to Speak at March Field Air Museum

Saturday July 12, 2014 at 1 p.m. March Field Air Museum will present a one-hour briefing on the Cold War by Francis Gary Powers Jr., the son of Francis Gary Powers the American U-2 pilot shot down in 1960 in a reconnaissance mission over Russia that derailed an important summit meeting between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet leader Nikita Kruschchev. The incident went on to become a notorious chapter in the history of the Cold War. Gary is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Cold War Museum, a non-profit which he founded in 1996 to honor Cold War veterans and preserve Cold War history. In this capacity he created a mobile exhibit on the U-2 Incident of the 1960s which has been exhibited at museums worldwide. He is currently, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Cold War Theme Study and is working with the National Park Service and leading Cold War experts to identify historic Cold War sites for commemorating, interpreting, and preservation. Gary lectures internationally and appears regularly on the History, Discovery, and A&E Channels. Museum curator Jeff Houlihan says that “the Soviet downing of Francis Gary Power’s U-2 spy plane in May of 1960 heightened Cold War tensions and brought the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. As his son, Mr. Power’s talk gives us an insider’s view of the crisis and a rare glimpse into Francis Gary Power’s extraordinary experience.“ He will be signing copies of “Operation Overflight: A Memoir of the U-2 Incident” written by his father following the talk. Copies of the book will be made available for purchase directly from the speaker. Museum admission is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children 5 to 12. March Field Air Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and is located at 22550 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside CA 92518. For more information about March Field Air Museum please contact Annie Lunetta at 951/902-5949, annie@marchfield.org or visit the website at www.marchfield.org.