Mark Farina, a Chicago reporter and sports announcer who wrote “Casey and the Flying Fortress,” will be in Muskegon on Monday, March 19, to speak in the morning at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum and in the evening at Muskegon Community College’s Sturrus Technology Center in conjunction with the college’s Center for Experiential Learning.
Mark Farina speaks at the MCC Sturrus Technology Center
Farina’s story began with him finding a box filled with postcards, letters and photos while rummaging through his deceased mother-in-law’s closet. The contents shed light on her husband, Casimir “Casey” Paulinski, and his World War II service as a B-17 pilot. Farina used the newly discovered resources to recount the tale of Paulinski and his crew training in the U.S. and flying in battle over Europe.
In the all-too-familiar situation in which many veteran families find themselves, Paulinski offered little about his military service while alive. Farina will share the techniques and tips he used to reconstruct his father-in-law’s service history.
The morning talk at the museum, located at 1346 Bluff St. along the channel, begins at 11 a.m. The $5 admission includes the lecture and full access to the museum and ships. The evening lecture, which is free, starts at 6 p.m. in the Sturrus Technology Center, 388 Clay St., in downtown Muskegon.
He will be signing and selling his book at each event.