With Jenny Thompson and Sherry Thompson. The talk will center on Mr. Thompson as a Foreign Service officer and American Cold War diplomat. The biography covers some of the most important Cold War crises as seen through his eyes. His was a time when character meant more than personality and his story confirms the power of diplomacy, patience and cultivation of deep understanding of and empathy for the other. Mr. Thompson believed in the importance of the State Department and remained a career officer his whole life. He went from an uncertain beginning in the wilds of the American West to the inner sanctums of the White House and Kremlin. He became an important behind-the-scenes advisor to Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, and participated in seminal events like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the Glassboro Summit and the Strategic Arms Limitation talks. Mr. Thompson died young and left no memoir so this is the first biography written about him. The authors and speaker at the program are his two daughters. This event costs $25 and includes lunch.