Dr. William Kenneth Stockdale’s natal date was 11 October 1928, at Rock Island, Illinois to Robert F. Stockdale, Jr., and Irene Mildred (Kail) Stockdale. He completes his primary education at a Catholic and public school in that region. In 1946 he complete his graduation from Rock Island Senior High School.
In the same year, he was enlisted in US Army, and later appointed by the USMA Preparatory School at Stewart Field, Newburgh, New York. Also, he was rewarded with the General Robert E. Lee Memorial Award when he get the first position in Mathematics. In 1951, on 9 June he get married to Alice Marie Carr from New Jersey.
He did his first job at the Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. After a short time join a station duty in Germany. He lived in Fulda with his wife and two adopted children Sharon and David.
When he came back to the US, again he joined Fort Belvoir, and then again join the Engineer School. In between, he becomes the father of the third child, biologically first.
In 1957, he attend the University of Illinois for completing his Civil Engineering. He received his Master of Science degree in 1958 and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering in 1959. In these two years, he gets two more babies Willam and Jackie.
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He went to South Korea when his Ph.D. was completed. There he directed 500 American and South Korean employees who are civilians and soldiers. Also, Alice gave birth to another baby girl. After resigning there he joins the Defense Atomic Support Agency to study the atomic blast.
Again he changed his job in 1963 and worked at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Engineer Section of the Headquarters, United States Army, Europe, in Heidelberg, Germany assigned him.
He contributes to the relocation of the Communication Zone under the direction of President Charles de Gaulle. Back in the US in 1967, he joined the United States Military Academy in the Department of Civil Engineering.
Before being approved as a permanent member of the faculty in 1970, he serves in several posts as an instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor.
In 1978 he announced his retirement from the United States Army and served Washington Public Power Supply System in Richland, Washington, as Chief Civil Engineer. He is the reason behind the changed design of the nuclear facility.
In 1987 he left the Supply System and was employed by Kaiser Engineers in Oakland, California, as an Engineering Manager.
He worked on such projects as the Super Conducting Super Collider to be built in Texas, a Basalt Nuclear Waste Storage facility in Washington State, the storage of high-level waste in Idaho, and a confidential project for Lockheed Company.
His last assignment was as Vice President and Chief Engineer of Kaiser Engineers, Hanford, Washington.
In 1994, he announced his retirement from engineering and moved to Los Angeles with his family. Later served as the Extraordinary Minister of Communion. In 2010 his wife Alice demines after 59 years of marriage. But William again married Katherine Rebecca Wakins from Oklahoma, in 2015.
His parents left him and he survived with his new wife, and children Sharon, David, Mary Alice, Bill, Jackie, Barbara, and Theresa, 2 stepsons Richard (Kalene) and Eric (Blanca) Watkins, and 16 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren, and 8 nieces and nephews.
After deἀth, he was buried at the Military Cemetery at West Point. To get more obituaries you can follow us on our Twitter account.
