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Robert Steven Williams (left) and Richard “Deej” Webb flank the Fritzgeralds’ granddaughter Bobbie Lanahan.

The belief has been that F. Scott Fitzgerald was thinking of Great Neck, on Long Island, for West Egg. The “white palaces of fashionable East Egg” — and green light at the end of the dock that Jay Gatsby could see before he disappeared in “the unquiet darkness” at the end of Chapter One — were across Manhasset Bay, probably in the area of Sands Point, an enclave north of Port Washington that was once mostly large, lush estates.

But maybe not.   Mr. Williams, a music producer-turned-filmmaker, and Richard Webb Jr., who taught high school history for 25 years, have a different and somewhat contrarian view of the Fitzgerald landscape.  They make the case that the literary location of the The Great Gatsby may, in fact be inspired by Westport as much as Long Island.   It makes for a fascinating discussion about a great American novel.

Robert Steven Williams, Filmmaker, Musician, Novelist & Entrepreneur, Robert’s company, Against the Grain Productions helps not-for-profits tell their story. One of his favorite clients is the Paul Newman founded charity Safe Water Network. Robert’s debut novel, My Year as a Clown, received the silver medal for popular fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. He was also a finalist in the Great American Fiction contest sponsored by The Saturday Evening Post. He is the director of the documentary Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story.

Richard ‘Deej’ Webb

Deej is a local educator and historian by trade. He is the author of book Boats Against the Current, the companion to the documentary. Deej is the former head of the New Canaan High School History Department for almost twenty years, and is also an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. Considered a local authority of Westport history, he is also on the board of the Westport Historical Society and Fairfield Museum. He’s been giving talks throughout the county on the Fitzgerald’s time in Westport for many years.

Ed and Alan Gray are the sons of L. Patrick Gray III- acting director of the FBI during Watergate. Ed Gray is a naturalist writer and the founder of Gray’s Sporting Journal.   He is co-author of In Nixon’s Web. He lives in Lyme, New Hampshire. 

Alan Gray is the Director of the Darien Library.

Their talk will be based the book of the same title.  See the Amazon write up below.

The last untold story of Watergate—by the FBI director who maintained his silence for more than thirty years

L.Patrick Gray III was the man caught in the middle of the Watergate scandal. He was a lifelong Republican, but Richard Nixon considered him a threat. Closing in on the conspiracy, Gray became the target of one of Watergate’s most shocking acts—Nixon’s “smoking gun” attempt to have the CIA stop the FBI investigation. And when the U.S. Senate focused its attention on Gray in April 1973, the White House threw him to the wolves; John Ehrlichman famously advised that he be left to “twist slowly, slowly in the wind.”

This book is Gray’s firsthand account of what really happened during his crucial year as acting director of the FBI, based on a never-before-published first-person account and previously secret documents. He reveals the witches’ brew of intrigue and perfidy that permeated Washington, and he tells the unknown story of his complex relationship with his top deputy, Mark Felt, raising disturbing questions about the methods and motives of the man purported to be Deep Throat.

Gray’s book was completed and expanded by his son, the journalist Ed Gray, who has supplemented the text with revelatory excerpts from documents, tape transcripts, and third-party accounts. Every other major figure has told his story, and now Patrick Gray’s unique inside account will change the way we think about the crisis that destroyed the Nixon presidency.

Arranged by Gary Banks

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DzkEelx9tQ

Jody Hotchkiss is the President of Hotchkiss Daily & Associates in New York; representing books, articles and life story rights to become film and television.  He was previously a VP of production at MGM and a literary agent at Sterling Lord Literistic . Hotchkiss Daily & Associates has sold dramatic rights including The Loudest Voice with Russell Crowe, The Wizard of Lies with Robert De Niro, The Kite Runner, American Gangster with Denzel Washington, and The Assassination of Jesse James with Brad Pitt. Flag Day starring Sean Penn is currently in production.

You can see some of the titles he has managed at https://www.hotchkissandassociates.com/

Jody will be speaking about the process of adapting source material into film and television as well as how the industry has changed today with new players such as Netflix and Amazon.

Speaker arranged by Alex Garnett

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH23z2i7HC8

Russell Jones was appointed CEO of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra January 2018.  Jones, a violinist who also sang with the London Symphony Chorus, was born in London and attended the University of Kent.

Jones brings a wealth of fundraising and leadership experience to his new role, having held various positions in arts management on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK he held posts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, and was director of the Association of British Orchestras before moving to the United States in 2007. He was vice president of marketing and membership at the League of American Orchestras between 2007 and 2012, when he moved to the New York Philharmonic as director of friends and planned giving, and later held positions including director of major gifts.

For a nice introduction to SSO see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=7Lobu9PryIU  The message is that the SSO is for everyone.   I know many DMA members are regular patrons.

He’ll talk about the challenges and fun of running a major cultural organization – selecting the season’s program, managing the musicians, fundraising, marketing and community outreach.

Arranged by Gary Banks

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjxoHzHjdyI&t=13s