Lee and Debbie Norelli enjoyed a Johnny Apple’s meal and stimulating conversation with former F.B.I. agent James R. Fitzgerald
The Times
On April 28, Assumption B.V.M Parish in Feasterville held a fundraiser “Men Who Cook,” a competition among 19 amateur male chefs. The evening included an open bar, dancing, food and live and silent auctions.
One of the auction items was dinner at Johnny Apples with James R. Fitzgerald, a former Bensalem police officer who became an F.B.I. profiler. In that role, he utilized forensic linguistics to apprehend Ted Kazinski, the UNABOMBER.
Lee and Debbie Norelli won the auction item and recently enjoyed food and stimulating conversation, which included the chance to ask Fitzgerald questions about his career. He explained how he discovered a sypher in Kazinski’s “Manifesto.” The sypher was the first letter of each word that ran down the left side of the page. It read, “Dad it is I.” Fitzgerald spoke of the common traits among serial criminals as well as the qualifications of a profiler.
The television series Man Hunter, Unabomber depicted Fitzgerald, as well as Natalie Schilling, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University who was Fitzgerald’s teacher. Both Fitzgerald and Schilling, along with the Norellis and Father John Kelly from Assumption B.V.M. were in attendance at the dinner. Fitzgerald signed his three books and presented them to the Norellis.
Fitzgerald is retired from the F.B.I. and has his own consulting firm, James R. Fitzgerald Associates, LLC. He travels from his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to speaking engagements around the country discussing and presenting his book Journey to the Center of the Mind. He participates in VIDOCQ on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Union League in Philadelphia. VIDOCQ is named after an 18th century French detective who was a criminal and rose to chief of police.
For more information on arranging Fitzgerald to speak at an engagement or to receive a signed book, contact [email protected] or visit jamesrfitzgerald.com.
