Florida is a mere 90 miles from Cuba. More than 1.8 million Cuban Americans call Florida home, including many who settled in Wellington. But the state’s entanglements with the island nation were never so intriguing as during 13 days in 1962 now known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Join the Wellington Historical Society on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at the Wellington National Golf Club for a presentation on Florida’s role in that harrowing period in history. New York Times bestselling author and historian Michael Tougias will present “Florida and the Untold Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis” at the Lunch & Learn event benefiting the Wellington Historical Society. It is sponsored by Seacoast Bank.
“Many of us remember distinctly that period in history, or certainly have studied what many believe is the closest the world ever came to seeing nuclear weapons launched upon the United States. This presentation takes us behind the scenes to what was happening and Florida’s role in it,” said Sue Bierer, president of the Wellington Historical Society.
Using declassified information, Tougias co-authored Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America’s Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission with Casey Sherman, which focuses on the Cuban Missile Crisis. The story emphasizes the role of the U-2 pilots who flew from Orlando to Cuba to secure proof of nuclear missiles.
Tougias is the author and co-author of 30 books for adults and six books for young adults. He is best known for his nonfiction narratives of survival and rescue. He speaks to groups across the country about his work.
“When I learned that a U.S. Air Force pilot was shot down and killed over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was totally surprised and thought to myself that this is a story that needs to be told,” Tougias said. “The project that ultimately became the book Above and Beyond morphed into much more than the pilot’s story. I learned there were three other lesser-known incidents that almost triggered nuclear war.”
Tougias was assisted in his research by the audio tapes that President John F. Kennedy secretly made of every meeting he had on the crisis.
“It was amazing to hear the arguments, but also how JFK’s opinion on what to do gradually changed as his emotion and adrenaline subsided after first learning about the missiles,” Tougias said.
The book changed the course of his writing career, leading him to three more history books, two about World War II U-boat attacks along the U.S. coast.
“More recently, I returned to my writing roots and have a new book about a 2022 survival story in the Gulf of Mexico titled In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival and Courage,” Tougias said. “I just love researching these lesser-known stories.”
Founded in 2018, the Wellington Historical Society preserves Wellington’s past through a number of programs and initiatives. In addition to hosting the Lunch & Learn series, the Wellington Historical Society has an archive of items and documents representative of Wellington’s history. It has created an educational program taught in Wellington’s elementary schools and has compiled oral histories from many of Wellington’s early pioneers and leaders.
Tickets for the event are $45 for members and $50 for non-members. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.wellingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
