Campus News
August 30th, 2023
Francis Gary Powers, Jr. to be September JCLS presenter
Author, lecturer, Cold War Museum founder is son of famous U-2 pilot
Francis Gary Powers, Jr. – a pilot, like his famous father – will be the featured Joan Crawford Lecture Series presenter in September. Powers’ presentation – Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy – is adapted from his book of the same name. He will present on Wednesday, September 13th at 6 p.m. in the recital hall of the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College.
Francis Gary Powers, Jr. wasn’t even born yet when his father was at the center of a major Cold War incident. As a result, it took time for the son to fully comprehend the impact of U-2 pilot Gary Powers’ shootdown over the Soviet Union 63 years ago.
"As a child, my perception was that everybody’s Dad went through something like mine did,” said Powers, who will be the featured presenter in September’s Joan Crawford Lecture Series. "That perception changed in 1977 when my father died in a helicopter accident while working for KNBC News in Los Angeles.
"As a result of his untimely death, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with a 21-gun salute,” continued Powers in a recent interview. "This is when I started to realize that not everyone’s dad gets shot down, imprisoned, or exchanged.”
Powers’ presentation – Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy – is adapted from his book of the same name. He will present on Wednesday, September 13th at 6 p.m. in the recital hall of the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College.
The Powers presentation is co-sponsored by The Wisp Resort and the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College. Admission is free.
After his father’s death, Powers began to research the controversial incident. As a result of his research, the U.S. government posthumously awarded his father the POW Medal in 2000 and the Silver Star in 2012.
The younger Powers eventually wrote three books about his father and the U-2 incident and also founded The Cold War Museum.
"I founded The Cold War Museum in 1996 not only to honor my father, but also to honor all Cold War veterans, preserve Cold War history, and educate future generations about this period,” said Powers.
Powers has a master’s degree in U.S. History from Adams State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Jaycees in 2002 and earned Certificates of Appreciation from both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA).
Powers appears regularly on C-SPAN, Discovery, and A & E channels.
