The Last Flight - VIP Reception, Book Signing & Book Talk with Authors

Meet the authors, get your books signed, and learn about the exhaustive and emotional five-day search and recovery mission of JFK Jr This is event is brought to you by the Friends of Nobska Light. Questions? Contact [email protected]. The Last Flight chronicles the exhaustive and emotional five-day search and recovery mission for JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette after their tragic plane crash. Behind the high-profile victims and the shock of the tragedy are the inspiring stories of everyday citizens aiding in the search. "Every treatment of JFK Jr.'s life ends when his plane crashed off Martha's Vineyard the night of July 16, 1999, and this is where our book begins," Captain Russ Webster tells PEOPLE. AGENDA & TICKETS VIP Reception & Book Signing | 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Nobska Lighthouse, 233 Nobska Road, Woods Hole, MA Book Talk | 6:00 PM-7:00 PM |Church of the Messiah, 16 Church Street, Woods Hole, MA (church is less than a 1/4 mile down the road from Nobska Lighthouse heading toward downtown Woods Hole) Advance Ticket Purchase Required • General Admission: $30 (includes Book Talk only at 6 PM) • VIP Reception, Book Signing & Book Talk: $50 AUTHOR BIOS Russ Webster Captain W. “Russ” Webster retired from federal service in 2023 following a 46-year career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Coast Guard. Webster served in the Coast Guard for 26 years where he was engaged in or oversaw more than 10,000 search and rescue cases. He was part of a team that developed post-9/11 service-wide anti-terrorist doctrine. He retired from the Coast Guard in 2003. During his tenure at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Webster helped inaugurate two programs which eventually evolved into nationwide initiatives: The Behavioral Detection (anti-terrorist) program for passenger screening, and the use of TSA screeners at other transportation venues. As FEMA’s New England’s Region 1 Administrator, Captain Webster co-led the federal government’s Northeast COVID operations at the start of the pandemic, coordinating the actions of 22 federal agencies on behalf of six states and ten tribal nations. Upon his retirement from FEMA, Captain Webster was recognized by the Department of Homeland Security with the Secretary’s Outstanding Performance Award. The International Association of Emergency Manager’s has recognized Captain Webster as a Lifetime Certified Emergency Manager. In his final year of federal service through Spring 2023, Captain Webster spent one academic year at his alma mater teaching emergency management, ethics, atmospherics, and conveyed operational lessons learned to emerging Coast Guard leaders. He is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy where he was honored as the 2017 Distinguished Alumni. He holds master’s degrees from the Naval War College and the Naval Postgraduate School. To learn more, visit wrussellwebster.com. Theresa Mitchell Webster Theresa Mitchell Webster is a historian, an award-winning journalist, and former history newsmagazine editor. She is the author of eight books focused on the intersection between maritime and cultural history, science, and the natural world. Theresa holds graduate degrees from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Yale University, and Eastern Washington University. Visit Theresa’s website at theresawebster.com.