Back to News 
MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 17, 2015) — Francis Gary Powers Jr., son of the renowned U-2 pilot and Milligan College alumnus shot down over the former Soviet Union 50 years ago, will share his father’s remarkable story at Milligan on Tuesday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Hyder Auditorium located in Milligan’s Science Building. The event is free and open to the public.
In his lecture titled “The U-2 Incident: A Son’s Perspective,” Powers will talk about the circumstance involving his father’s capture and subsequent release that is widely recognized by historians as one of the most significant events of the Cold War. He also will discuss the Cold War and what we are doing now to honor Cold War veterans, preserve Cold War history and educate future generations about this time period. Powers is founder of the Cold War Museum in Warrenton, Virginia, and regularly appears on the History, Discovery and A&E channels as a commentator.
A native of southwest Virginia, Francis Gary Powers Sr. graduated from Milligan in 1950. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was recruited for the U-2 program by the CIA in 1956. He achieved international recognition when his U-2 spy plane was shot down on May 1, 1960, while conducting a reconnaissance mission over the former Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.
Powers was held prisoner by the Soviets for 21 months before being exchanged on February 10, 1962, for Soviet spy Col. Rudolf Abel, who was in U.S. captivity.
A movie about the incident involving Francis Gary Powers Sr. is being made into a film titled “Bridge of Spies” directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, among others. The story centers around an American lawyer, played by Hanks, who is recruited by the CIA during the Cold War to help rescue Powers, who was detained in the Soviet Union.
The film is set to release on October 16, 2015.
“It is an honor to have Powers’ son, Gary, return to campus to help teach a new generation about the legacy of his father and the historic U-2 Incident,” said President Dr. Bill Greer. “This will be an important lecture for the Milligan community and the public to learn more about the events of the Cold War era that shaped our country.”
Francis Gary Powers Jr. lectures internationally on the U-2 incident, the need to preserve Cold War history and how the Cold War impacts us today. He has arranged for the loan or donation of artifacts and exhibit material to American government agencies and a variety of internationally recognized museums.
In 1996, he founded the Cold War Museum to honor Cold War Veterans and preserve Cold War history. Currently, a mobile exhibit travels internationally, displaying historical artifacts associated with the U-2 incident. The traveling exhibit promotes interest in the creation of a permanent Cold War Museum that will exhibit artifacts and memorabilia associated with various Cold War events from the end of World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In conjunction with the Museum, a Cold War Memorial will honor the men and women who worked, fought, sacrificed and died during the Cold War from 1945 to 1991.
Learn more about Milligan at www.milligan.edu.