Contact:  Melissa Potter
September 15, 2006

Francis Gary Powers, Jr. Set to Appear at MECC

On Wednesday, October 11, Mountain Empire Community College will welcome special guest Francis Gary Powers, Jr. to campus.  The presentation, entitled Leadership Observed, is presented by the Southwest Center for Teaching Excellence (SCTE).  Powers is the son of famed U2 pilot Captain Francis Gary Powers.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from California State University in Los Angeles, California and a master’s degree in public administration and a certification in non-profit management from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  In 1996, he founded the Cold War Museum and Memorial in Fairfax to honor Cold War veterans and preserve Cold War history. 

At the event, Powers will give an overview of the life and career of his father, a Korean War veteran who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and in 1960 was shot down over the USSR while piloting a U-2 spy plane.  He will also speak about specific episodes of leadership, lessons from the Cold War, and where he believes the nation will go from here. 

The program will be held in the Goodloe Center at MECC, and will begin at 11 a.m.  Guests may have lunch with Powers after the presentation.  Reservations are required for the meal since seating will be limited.

For additional information or to pre-register for the event, contact Dr. Melba Taylor, Chair of the SCTE, at (276) 739-2457 or mtaylor@vhcc.edu.  For more information about the Cold War Museum, visit www.coldwar.org. 

Francis Gary Powers, Jr. is pictured in this old photograph with his father, Captain Francis Gary Powers.  Powers, Jr. will be the special guest at an upcoming presentation, Leadership Observed, at Mountain Empire Community College on October 11.

More Press Releases