Barry McNamara  |  Published April 18, 2024

‘Growing Up Stockdale’

Sid Stockdale, son of Vice Adm. James Stockdale ’46, to discuss his new memoir April 24.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Sid Stockdale, the son of the late Vice Adm. James and Sybil Stockdale, will be on Monmouth College’s campus April 24 to speak about his new book.

SID STOCKDALE: The son of Vice Adm. James Stockdale '46 will discuss his new memoir at 4 p.m. April 24. SID STOCKDALE: The son of Vice Adm. James Stockdale '46 will discuss his new memoir at 4 p.m. April 24.Free and open to the public, the talk will be held at 4 p.m. in Room 276 of the Center for Science and Business. It is sponsored by the College’s Wackerle Center for Career, Leadership & Fellowships. The center also oversees the James and Sybil Stockdale Fellows Program, a prestigious scholarship, leadership, service and enrichment program for Monmouth students.

Titled A World Apart, Growing Up Stockdale During Vietnam, Stockdale’s memoir takes a deep dive into the emotional and political cauldron he entered when his father’s Navy fighter jet was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965. His father was held as a prisoner of war for the next seven years at the infamous Hanoi Hilton.

A member of Monmouth College’s Class of 1946, the elder Stockdale was the most senior naval officer held captive by the North Vietnamese, and in 1976 he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his remarkable heroics as a POW during the Vietnam War.

Stockdale, who retired from the Navy in 1979, was a candidate for U.S. vice president in 1992 on Ross Perot’s independent ticket. The Stockdale Center, the College’s student union, is named in his honor. Stockdale died in 2005 at the age of 81, and Sybil died in 2015 at the age of 90.

“I think that it is extremely impactful for our James and Sybil Stockdale Fellows to hear from Sid Stockdale and learn more about his parents.” – Marnie Steach


During his April 24 talk, the younger Stockdale will discuss how he emerged from his father’s ordeal as a POW and how the family successfully reunited and rebuilt its life together.

“I think that it is extremely impactful for our James and Sybil Stockdale Fellows to hear from Sid Stockdale and learn more about his parents,” said Marnie Steach, director of the Wackerle Center. “The opportunity to connect more personally to the family for which the program is named allows our students to have a better appreciation for the leadership exhibited by both Vice Adm. Stockdale and his wife during and after the Vietnam War.”

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