Contact:
The History Press
Jonny Foster
843.853.2070 ex. 167
jofoster@arcadiapublishing.com
PARI
Charles Willard
828.455.4019
cwillard@pari.edu
On sale: 4/24/23
Price: $23.99
Pages: 144
ISBN: 9781467152181
About the Book
After six decades, the communities of Rosman and Balsam Grove are finally learning the truth about the large, mysterious satellite dishes that operate in their neighborhood behind rows of barbed wire and a chain-link fence. Craig Gralley’s new book, “PARI: An Untold History of Spacemen and Spies,” reveals the secret past of PARI—a facility buried deep in the mountains of western North Carolina, whose very existance was denied for decades by the U.S. government. Gralley charts the Rosman site’s proud history and through personal stories and declasified government documents tells how its employees helped to win the space race, the Cold War, and are now embarked on a critically important new mission: science education. All author profits are being donated to further PARI’s science education programs.
About the Author
Craig Gralley, a former CIA senior executive, served as an analyst, manager and chief speechwriter for three agency directors. He’s now a freelance writer and author of “Hall of Mirrors—Virginia Hall: America’s Greatest Spy of WWII,” a Kirkus Reviews “Best Book.” Craig’s work has appeared in the Washington Post, World War II Magazine, Elan and The Sun among others. He graduated with honors from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, and holds maaster’s degrees from Georgetown University (government) and Johns Hopkins University (writing). For more information about Craig and his work, visit: www.craiggralley.com.
About Arcadia Publishing
As the nation’s leading publisher of books of local history and local interest, Arcadia’s mission is to connect people with their past, with their communities and with one another. Arcadia is the home of unique hyper-local histories of countless hometowns across all fifty states, as well books on food, beer and wine; stories of famous hauntings, all one American city and town at a time. Arcadia has an extraordinary catalog of 17,000 local titles and publishes 500 new books each year. Arcadia counts among its imprints Pelican Publishing, a 100-year old independent press based in New Orleans, and the critically acclaimed Wildsam Publishing, publisher of highly curated travel literature and guides. Using its propriatary Store Match system, Arcaia can create a highly cusomized hyper‑local book assortment for any storefront in the nation.
What Readers are Saying
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute: An Untold History of Spacemen and Spies
“Rich in detail with strong human interest stories, Gralley’s book offers a compelling portrait of an important organization . . . a significant addition to an understudied part of America’s space history.”
—Dr. Roger Launius,
former Chief Historian, NASA and Associate Director,
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
“Fascinating, revealing and at times, quite humorous . . . Gralley brings PARI’s story to life.”
—Sunny Tsiao,
author of Read You Loud and Clear!
“This official history of PARI is authentic, authoritative and amazing . . .”
—Don Cline,
President, PARI
An Excerpt from the Book
“The Day the Russians Came to PARI”
During Rosman’s DoD years, the site was off-limits to Soviet, then Russian diplomats and military officials. But after PARI took over in 1998, the facility was opened up once again for domestic and foreign visitors. A former PARI employee offered the following story:
One day in 2003, I got a call from a professor from Brevard College. Some Russian scientists were coming through town on a tour arranged by the Library of Congress, and he asked, “Would you mind if they came to visit PARI?” I said, “Sure, bring them in.”
There were about thirty Russians and two interpreters. We showed them around, gave them an overview of our STEM education program and played our PARI video. When we finished, I asked if they had any questions.
One man stood up and began speaking Russian. Now, I don’t speak Russian, but it was clear that the longer he went on, the more agitated he became. After he stopped, the interpreter put her head down and shook it from side to side. In a low voice she said, “I’m sorry to say this but this man claims what you’re saying is all a big lie and that you are still spying on Russia from this location.”
“Well,” I said, “there’s nothing I can say to convince him otherwise, so I won’t even try.”
PARI is a not-for-profit organization
“Revealing the unseen and empowering people to reach their next frontier since 1999”
1 PARI Drive, Rosman, North Carolina, 28772
www.PARI.edu