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ATOMIC AGED
The 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis
What: Jacksonville University panel discussion on the importance and impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16.
Where: Terry Concert Hall, Jacksonville University, 2800 University Blvd. N., Jacksonville, FL, 32211.
Cost: Free to public. No reservation required.
Background: For 13 days in October 1962, Florida and the world watched with mounting fear as the spectre of nuclear war loomed. The United States had blockaded Cuba after discovering Soviet nuclear missile sites on the island just 90 miles from the Sunshine State. Tensions only eased Oct. 28, 1962, after U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev publicly agreed to a deal in which the Soviets would dismantle the weapon sites in exchange for a pledge from the U.S. not to invade Cuba.
A six-member Jacksonville University faculty panel moderated by Dr. Douglas Hazzard, Dean of JU’s College of Arts & Sciences, will conduct a discussion and make presentations on the magnitude and effects of the crisis. Photography, video and artwork exhibits will also be featured at the event.
Presenters and Topics:
- Jesse Hingson, Associate Professor of History, Eyeball to Eyeball? The Cuban Missile Crisis in History and Myth
- Paul Simony, Professor of Physics, Sunny with a 30% Chance of Mushroom Clouds
- Capt. Herb Hadley, Commanding Officer, Jacksonville University NROTC Unit, The Navy Perspective: Quarantine—An Act of War?
- Jelena Radosavljevic, Adjunct Professor of International Studies, The Soviet View
- John Buck, Professor of Economics, Sad and Luminous Days: Cuba’s Struggles with the Superpowers after the Missile Crisis
- Nathan Rousseau, Associate Professor of Sociology, Seeking Shelter from the Bomb
For more information: (904) 256-7100.
I’m wondering if Dr George E. Buker, Professor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville University, will be participating; Dr B was a US Naval Aviator, with the rank of Commander, and in command of squadron VU-10 based at NAS Guantanamo Bay Cuba in 1962. I had the great privilege to have had him as a professor and faculty adviser. I do not know how he is doing physically or if he would be able to participate, but based on his on the scene experience, I think his input would be invaluable.