William Stockdale
Legendary Bill Stockdale Dies
William Stockdale , a film artist whose whimsical sense of humor delighted audiences in North America for half a century, is dead at 91. He passed away peacefully in his home Sept. 15.
One of his most popular films was Cemeteries Are Fun, and he proved it was fun by depicting the gravesites of the famous, infamous and ordinary folks and the humorous farewells many left behind on their tombstones.
In another film, recalls old pal Stan Walsh, Bill shows a car driving the Alcan Highway through an endless expanse of forest and snow. Finally, another car is seen. “Both drivers stop their cars, window to window. There is a pause, then an arm of one driver is shown sticking out the window holding a jar of mustard. The other driver reaches out and takes it. Both cars drive off. On cue with perfect timing, Bill says, ‘Do you have any Grey’s Poupon?’ The audience howled.”
William Evans Stockdale was born in 1918 in Putnam, Connecticut, where he lived all his life. He attendedYale University, and in 1949 he and his new bride Constance and a boxer dog walked coast-to-coast across America— 3,525 miles. It was their honeymoon, and the beginning of his long career as travel writer, lecturer and filmmaker.
Bill and his family loved adventuring together. The Stockdales were one of the first to use a Volkswagen camper in America, which they took on a trip to Baja California, Stan remembered. “The road was nearly impassable, and at one point progress was so slow that the bored Stockdale kids got out of the camper and walked on ahead. The kids were well away from the sound of the Volkswagen when they came across a Mexican family. You can imagine how startled the Mexicans were on seeing a troop of ‘Gringo’ kids appear like a mirage out of the desert.”
Volkswagen played Bill’s film in the VW booth at the New York Auto Show.
Besides showing his travel films around the country, his travel writings appeared in the New York Times, theBoston Globe and the Worcester Telegram.
In 2004, William Stockdale was given the Travel Adventure Cinema Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is survived by Constance, his wife of 60 years, his sons Richard, Christopher and Joshua, and daughters Rebecca, Heather and Cynthia and seven grandchildren.
A celebration of his life was held at the United Methodist Church in Putnam.
Stan Walsh summed it best: “He was a legend.”
Tags: Alcan Highway · Baja California · Boston Globe · CT. · New York Times · Putnam · Volkswagen · William Stockdale · Worcester Telegram · Yale
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Sorry to hear he passed. I’ve been trying for ages to locate a copy of his film “Back Roads and Friendly People”, documenting the cross-country trip his family took in a VW bus. Perhaps his family has a copy? There is definitely still an audience that would love to see it.
Our audiences in Poughkeepsie, NY (Vassar Brothers Institute) loved Bill’s genial sense of humor. One of his comments I enjoyed was when he was showing Stonehenge at the time of the equinox and the sun was just peeping over the horizon. Bill quipped that “thousands of pilgrims come here from all over England – just to set their watches!” As projectionist I got to know him and Connie real well as we featured nearly all of his films. It’s a friendship I cherish!
Ed Fitchett
Our audiences in Poughkeepsie, NY (Vassar Brothers Istitute) loved Bill’s genial sense-of humor. One of his comments that I enjoyed so much was his showing of Stonehenge at the equinox when the sun just peeped over the horizon. He said “pilgrims come here from all over England – just to set their watches!” Bill was a “regular” on our series – I think we ran all of his films. As projectionist I got to know him and Connie real well and I’m so happy for the friendship.
It happened in Grand Rapids, 2007 at the TRACS convention dinner. About six of us were seated at one of those large round table waiting for the chicken to arrive. Tom Sterling started taking about Bill, “Do you remember when Bill did…” and he retold one of those great stories of Bill and a certain situation that only Bill could conceive. I started laughing, laughing hard as I remembered the story. Not to be topped I told another Stockdale tale and soon the smiles were turning to laughter as those who had not met Bill or seen his films were now visualizing what we old timers will never forget. It wasn’t long before our whole table was laughing as story after story was told. We were laughing so hard tears were running down the cheeks of all of us. I’m sure the rest of the TRACS guests thought we had lost it, but we didn’t care. As conference after conferences, 36 of them over the past 37 years, fade in my memory the guys at Grand Rapids dinner table that relived the Stockdale stories will remain vivid. Thanks Bill for bringing such great off the wall stories, we love you we will miss you.
ralph
It’s always a shame to lose a free spirit like Bill. I only got to see him once, but I’ll never forget it! He will be missed.