Cold War California
Details
RSVP Information: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/c2tmkpq/lp/e4e22e5d-9794-4e7d-9ecf-683349513ff9
| AIAA LA Section (Town Hall) Meeting
(In-person attendance)
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2 pm PDT (GMT -0700)
May 02
(May 2) Cold War California
Speakers:
Francis Gary Powers Jr. and Christopher Sturdevant, Franky Ortega
Panelists:
Francis Gary Powers Jr., Christopher Sturdevant, Monica Chang, Franky Ortega, and more to be announced.
Exhibitors:
(To be announced)
Moderator:
Dr. Jeff Puschell
Co-Moderator:
Prof. Monica Chang
(The speakers/panelists and attendance are all in-person) (This event is not endorsed or sponsored by the Culver City Julian Dixon Library.)
Culver City Julian Dixon Library (Meeting Room) (Tentative)
4975 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA 90230
May 02, 2026 02:00pm PT - May 02, 2026 05:30pm PT
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Tentative agenda (All Times Pacific Time (PDT, GMT -0700))
2:00 pm PDT: Check-in / viewing exhibitions of tech products or artwork / networking
3:00 pm PDT: Presentation by authors
3:40 pm PDT: Panel discussion
4:20 pm PDT: Book signing
5:00 pm PDT: Program ends
5:30 pm PDT: Adjourn
6:00 pm PDT: Library closes
Disclaimer: The views of the speakers / panelists do not represent the views of AIAA or the AIAA Los Angeles Section
(You do not need to be a member of AIAA to attend the event)
Cold War California
Presentation
(Based on Amazon.com for the book description of the same title)
"The focal point of western defense against Soviet aggression during the Cold War, California proved instrumental in preventing a Third World War during the twentieth century. The state’s major military presence on land, air, and sea diverged with a peaceful counterpart that created the United Nations in San Francisco in 1946.
Muroc Field, the future Edward Air Force Base, was the site of Chuck Yeager’s feat breaking the sound barrier in 1947, and Lockheed Skunkworks produced the top-secret high-tech U2 Dragon Lady and SR-71 in Southern California. Cold War presidents, stalwarts Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, both hailed from the Golden State. Billionaire Howard Hughes, who made his mark in aviation and the movies, provided cover for the Glomar Explorer mission to recover a sunken Soviet submarine in the Pacific.
Hollywood was a two-sided coin, supporting both pro-American movie messaging and becoming a flash point for government investigations into Communist sympathies.
Cold War historians Francis Gary Powers Jr., Christopher Sturdevant, and Franky Ortega delve into California’s role in winning the Cold War."
Panel Discussion
Please join us for an insightful panel discussion and share the experiences and stories of the Cold War and the aerospace involvement in it, and the thoughts about the past, current, future of the U.S. Relationship with China and Russia.
If you would like to join the panel, please email: [contact@aiaa-lalv.org](mailto:contact@aiaa-lalv.org "mailto:contact@aiaa-lalv.org") Thank you very much.
Exhibition
Please join us for interesting exhibition of Cold War related items, photos, posters etc. If you would like to bring you displays, please email: [contact@aiaa-lalv.org](mailto:contact@aiaa-lalv.org "mailto:contact@aiaa-lalv.org") Thank you very much.
Francis Gary Powers Jr.
(Speaker and Panelist)
MPA, MA US History
Founder and Chairman - The Cold War Museum
Past Board Member - The SAC and Aerospace Museum
Honorary Board - The International Spy Museum
(The speaker will present in person.)
Francis Gary Powers Jr. is the founder and chairman emeritus of The Cold War Museum, a 501(c) (3) charity in Vint Hill, Virginia, near Washington, DC. As chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Cold War Theme Study, he worked with the National Park Service and leading Cold War experts to identify historic Cold War sites for commemorating, interpreting, and preservation. He served as a consultant to Steven Spielberg's Cold War thriller, Bridge of Spies. He lectures internationally and appears regularly on the History, Discovery, and A&E Channels.
Chris Sturdevant
(Speaker and Panelist)
Author: Cold War California, Cold War Virginia, Cold War Illinois, and Cold War Wisconsin
(The speaker will present in person.)
Christopher Sturdevant is a children’s librarian who resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His interest in the Cold War began while growing up during the 1980s. Chris studied history and physics at Carroll University. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and chairman of the Midwest Chapter of the Cold War Museum in Washington, D.C.
Franky Ortega
(Speaker and Panelist)
Author: Cold War California, Teaching in the Cold War Nike Missile Headquarters
(The speaker will present in person.)
Franky Ortega teaches at the Cold War Nike Missile Headquarters. He has written for an encyclopedia, produced a documentary, parachuted into Normandy, curated museum exhibits and taught military history courses and is a guest lecturer.
Dr. Jeff Puschell
(Moderator)
AIAA Region VI Director of Education, AIAA Fellow,
Advisor, AIAA Los Angeles Section
National Academy of Engineering Inductee 2024, SPIE Fellow
Northrop Grumman Corporation | Space Systems
Dr. Jeff Puschell is AIAA Region VI Director of Education, AIAA Fellow, Advisor, AIAA Los Angeles Section. He is also National Academy of Engineering Inductee 2024, and SPIE Fellow. He is with the Northrop Grumman Corporation | Space Systems.
Prof. Monica Chang
(Co-Moderator)
Professional Mediator
(More Panelists to be announced.)
The generous donation and sponsorship from the following are highly appreciated:
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Thank you very much.
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