AREAWIDE — The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) has announced that resident local author and former U.S. Department of Defense official Dick Shriver will deliver remarks based on his upcoming book, “Glimpses of an Uncharted Life,” at Old Lyme Country Club on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Shriver’s address will provide a compelling review of the Cold War – highlighting its start, end, aftermath and relevance to today. His presentation is expected to be particularly timely, given the resurgence of Russian nationalism under Vladimir Putin and other recent international developments.
SECWAC meetings are free to members. Tickets are $20 for the general public and free for area college and high school students; and can be obtained at [email protected]. (The ticket cost can subsequently be applied towards a SECWAC membership.)
The event will take place at 6 p.m. at Old Lyme Country Club in Old Lyme. It will be preceded by a 5:30 pm reception. Immediately following the presentation, SECWAC attendees with reservations (made at least 24 hours in advance) will reconvene for dinner ($35) at the country club.
Shriver is a former director of Telecommunications and Command & Control Systems for the Office of the Secretary of the Defense; he is also a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. After the collapse of the U.S.S.R., he began a career in economic and legal development in the newly freed republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as in other countries in Eastern Europe and Afghanistan. He lived in the Soviet Union and Ukraine for eight years.
Shriver has received the U.S. Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s highest award, the Alexander Hamilton Medal. He is also provost emeritus of Bard College Berlin, a university in Germany.
The presentation is a part of the SECWAC Speaker Series. SECWAC is a regional, nonprofit, membership organization affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America. Its mission is to foster an understanding of issues related to foreign policy and international affairs through study, debate and educational programming.
Through its annual Speaker Series, SECWAC arranges up to 10 presentations a year that provide a public forum for dialogue between its members and experts on foreign relations. Membership information is available at www.secwac.org.