Local Speaker Series: Sidney Stockdale
February 13 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Event Details
Sid Stockdale was eleven years old when his father’s US Navy fighter jet was shot down over North Vietnam and he was held a POW in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” for the next seven years.
When Sid’s mother, Sybil Stockdale, found the government’s handling of the POW issue incompetent she began organizing other POW wives and demanding change. She also began working with Naval Intelligence, sending and receiving secretly coded letters with Sid’s Dad in prison.
Sid Stockdale was thrown headlong into this emotional and political cauldron; a young boy forced to deal with adult traumas and relentless struggle. As his father’s treatment and fate as a prisoner became more desperate and his mother’s arduous struggle began to take its toll on her health, Sid did his best to cope, provide support, care for his two younger brothers, and survive adolescence.
This is the story of how Sid emerged from this nightmare a healthy young man and how his family was reunited and rebuilt their life together.
Sid recently wrote a memoir about his story called A World Apart: Growing Up Stockdale During Vietnam.
More about Sid Stockdale:
Sid Stockdale is the second of four sons of Sybil and Vice Admiral James Stockdale. An educator for forty years, Sid taught history, coached, and served as a department chair, hiring, evaluating, and mentoring teachers in independent schools across the country. He and his wife, Nan, met while undergraduates at Colorado College and Sid later received a master’s degree from St John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nan and Sid both retired in spring 2017 and now live in Oakley, Utah, where they enjoy a variety of outdoor activities. Sid currently serves on the board of trustees at his alma mater, South Kent School, in Connecticut. They have two daughters, Minda and Sarah.
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Thank you to the Friends of the Park City Library for sponsoring the Local Speaker Series. The Friends of the Park City Library is a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to supporting the Library. Becoming a member supports funding needs for the Friends of the Library and gives you VIP access to their book sales.
Date: February 13 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Venue
- Park City Library
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1255 Park Avenue
Park City, Utah 84060 + Google Map