Book Launch: Keith Dunnavant’s SPEED
Schedule
Fri Jul 09 2021 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Location
The Boyd Gallery | Newnan, GA
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Q&A in the Basement Studio from 6-6:30 followed by a book signing from 6:30 until 8pm with author, Keith DunnavantIn SPEED one of America’s greatest test pilots, the first man to fly the iconic SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, the world's fastest jet, collaborates with acclaimed journalist Keith Dunnavant to tell his remarkable story: How he was pushed to excel by his demanding father. How a lucky envelope at the U.S. Naval Academy altered the trajectory of his life. How he talked his way into U.S. Air Force fighters at the dawn of the jet age, despite being told he was too tall. How he made the conscious decision to trade the security of the business world for the dangerous life of an experimental test pilot, including time at the clandestine base Area 51, working on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Oxcart program. Gilliland’s work with the SR-71 defined him, especially after the Cold War, when many of the secrets began to be revealed and the plane emerged from the shadows—not just as a tangible museum artifact but as an icon that burrowed deep into the national consciousness. Like the Blackbird itself, SPEED is a story animated by the power of ambition and risk-taking during the heady days of the American Century.
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Where is it happening?
The Boyd Gallery, 14 East Washington Street, Newnan, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays: