The Enrichment Academy’s first speaker of the Spring and Summer Speaker Series spoke about the Cold War and his father, the famous spy whose plane was shot down in Soviet Union airspace in 1960.
Guest speakers returned to The Villages for the first time in the Enrichment Academy’s spring season with Gary Powers giving a remarkable presentation.
The emphasis of Powers’ speech was on his father, spy pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose plane was shot down while conducting a reconnaissance mission in the Soviet Union airspace in 1960, resulting in the U-2 incident.
During his speech in April, Powers discussed the Cold War and the misinformation around the U-2 incident, which has led to the Powers family spending the last 40 years trying to clear the air of these speculations.
Before the meeting, Powers said that participants should “expect some very interesting details on the Cold War, why it’s so important to remember veterans, preserve history and teach future generations about this time period.”
Melanie Sarakinis, the Enrichment Academy’s recreation manager, said, “We are proud of the success of the speaker programme, with the majority of our speaker events sold out. To satisfy demand, we often schedule an additional session.”
This was the case with Powers, who was set to talk at 6 p.m. but had to be moved to a 4 p.m. session due to high demand.
The most famous lectures, according to Sarakinis, are history-related.
Powers, a Virginia native, was in Florida for a two-week lecture tour, which included a stay in The Villages.
Powers said, “Anytime I can get on the track, that’s a great thing. With the exception of last year, I normally come to Florida in April.”
Most of his talk was inspired by his latest novel, “Spy Pilot,” which came out in 2019.
“I’m taking up where I left off during the book tour last year,” he said.
This book was for sale alongside versions of his father’s autobiography and “Letters From a Soviet Jail,” a collection of his father’s letters written while imprisoned. There were also copies of James B. Donovan’s book “Strangers on a Bridge,” which is about the Soviet agent for whom Powers’ father was swapped.
Powers showed a short video clip from Steven Spielberg’s 2015 film “Bridge of Spies” during his chat.
“It’s a good talk, especially for those who recall the Cold War,” according to Powers.
Program information and applications to become a speaker are available online at theenrichmentacademy.org.
Further Sarakinis added about the series “great opportunity to learn more on cutting-edge subjects from experienced speakers who share their insights with the audience.”
The one-hour lectures are usually held once a month and cover a wide variety of topics across the year.
Visit the Enrichment Academy’s website or any regional recreational complex for more information about the speaker series.
Powers’ schedule can be found at garypowers.com/events for those interested in seeing him at another event.
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun