Frank Abagnale Review

Based on the feedback from our patron survey, it is safe to say that the 2009-2010 season ended with a high-noted BANG!! Mr. Abagnale three headed discussion resonated strongly with patrons and left almost all who responded with very positive feelings.

The story of his life, which became the movie hit, Catch Me If You Can was the basis of his lecture and created a strong foundation for the evening. While many patrons knew about this part of his life, Abagnale's delivery seemed to captivate patrons from the beginning. His message of morality and teaching ethics and in the school and at home were well received although somewhat surprising considering his past. Abagnale's Q&A seemed to be the highlight of the evening as he took almost twenty minutes to answer the evening's last question, "How can consumers protect themselves from identity theft?".

The last program of our 2009-2010 season received the highest overall scores of the entire season which will hopefully leave patrons with good thoughts about the overall season. The Abagnale program scores were as follows:

(1=LOWEST 5=HIGHEST)

The Overall Engagement = 4.8

The Lecture Portion = 4.7

The Q+A Portion = 4.9

Lighting = 4.5

Acoustics = 4.5


A few quotes from patrons about the program:

"His talk was fascinating and he is a captivating speaker!
We were very impressed with how he has used his childhood experiences to do good in the world and how he became such a wonderful family man as well. One of our favorite lectures to date!"

"Wasn't sure about lionizing a guy who after all was a crook. But learned he's paid his dues and has more than made up for any "youthful indiscretions". The info about fraud was the best part of the evening."

"At no other engagement have the lecture and Q&A been so different but each extremely interesting. The evening would not have been complete without both. Was this coincidence or by design? If by design, then you guys are getting very good at this. I thought the range of questions was outstanding."

"Mr. Abagnale was one of the most memorable speakers I have seen in all the years of I have been a member - extremely knowledgeable, a wonderful speaker, refreshingly humble and admirably committed to family, country and an ethical life. Absolutely wonderful - his presentation should be filmed and distributed."

Not surprisingly, 98% of patrons who responded labeled the evening "money well spent".

For those that missed the event and still would like some tips on protecting themselves against fraud and identity theft, I did find the a short interview featuring Mr. Abagnale.