Centerville-Washington History February Speaker Series Program

Monthly Speaker Series

JOIN US for the February Speaker Series:

Ann Hagedorn, author of “SLEEPER AGENT: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away,” will share history more remarkable than fiction on Tuesday, February 17, at 7 pm at the RecPlex West auditorium, 965 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd.

George Koval, an Iowa-born charmer who loved Walt Whitman, baseball, and science, studied at Columbia and City College of New York in the 1940s, but in truth, he was a Soviet-trained intelligence officer. Gaining full U.S. security clearance at top-secret Manhattan Project sites, Koval, posing as a U.S. Army corporal, funneled vital nuclear secrets to Moscow through a Bronx-based handler, enabling the Soviets to build their atom bomb years ahead of U.S. expectations. His espionage went undetected until after he returned to the Soviet Union, where his achievements were known only to senior intelligence officials. His remarkable double life remained obscure until revealed in Sleeper Agent, an Edgar Award Finalist in 2022 praised by The Wall Street Journal as “a historical page-turner of the highest order.”

Ann Hagedorn is a former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal and an award-winning author of six previous narrative nonfiction books, including Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad and Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919, and is currently working on her seventh book. As an adjunct professor, she taught writing at Columbia, Northwestern, Xavier, and Miami Universities. After living in NYC for two decades, she now writes her books in a small town on the Ohio River that she discovered while researching Beyond the River.

This FREE presentation is open to the public. Reservations are not required. Donations welcome. Enjoy refreshments starting at 6:30 PM and the program from 7-8 PM in the auditorium. For more information, call Centerville-Washington History at 937-433-0123 or visit centervillewashingtonhistory.org.

Links & Tags

Washington Township Rec Plex

Centerville-Washington History February Speaker Series Program is taking place at Washington Township Rec Plex, which is located at 895 Miamisburg Centerville Road in Dayton. Washington Township Rec Plex - Formerly the Washington Township Recreation. We offer a variety of programs included classes (Aquatic Lessons, Art, Fitness, Preschool, Sports Classes and Acting Lessons) along with Leagues and Camps.

Centerville-Washington History.

Centerville-Washington History - The mission of Centerville-Washington History is to connect the community to its heritage by collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting the history of our local area.