From Dawn at Shippingport to Midnight in Chernobyl: A Brief History of Commercial Nuclear Power, the Cold War, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union

Tuesday, April 28, 2026  •  7 P.M.  •  Free Admission, Limited Seating
Beaver Station, 250 East End Ave, Beaver, PA 15009
Guests are invited to stay following the program for light refreshments.

In 1958, a reactor in Shippingport on the banks of the Ohio River lit up Pittsburgh and changed the world. In 1986, a reactor in Soviet Ukraine exploded — and changed it again.

Join us for an illustrated talk tracing the extraordinary arc between these two moments — from President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” vision, to the engineers who built the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant right here in Beaver County, to the design flaw that made Chernobyl inevitable.

A story of science and politics, optimism and secrecy — and what happens when the most powerful technology in human history is used, and misused.

Stephen Catanzarite is a founder, executive leader, and educator with more than 30 years of experience building institutions in education and the performing arts.

As founder and former CEO of the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, he developed one of the region’s leading cultural institutions, including a charter school serving 800 students and a performing arts program drawing more than 50,000 patrons annually.

He also founded Baden Academy Charter School and helped secure a $30 million federal grant for new school development. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Franciscan University Homeland Mission in Washington, D.C., and as an adjunct professor.