- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will close on February 24, 2026 @ 6:30pm.
Program Description
Event Details
Join Stamford Veterans Park Partnership Historian Tony Pavia for a powerful look into the life of US Navy sailor James Dockery. One of six heroic gunners who defended the USS Intrepid from a Japanese kamikaze attack in 1944, Dockery demonstrated immense bravery—beginning a long-overdue journey toward justice.
Refreshments will be served.
Registration required.
Tony Pavia is a distinguished educator with over 38 years of experience in lower Fairfield County. His leadership includes serving as principal of Stamford, Trinity Catholic, and New Canaan High Schools.
In 1992, Pavia launched an oral history project interviewing local World War II veterans, which led to the book An American Town Goes to War (1995). Throughout his career, he remained deeply involved with veterans, organizing large assemblies in the schools where he taught or served as principal.
After retiring in 2015, Pavia and his son Matt coauthored An American Town and the Vietnam War (2018), documenting Stamford residents’ experiences through oral histories, narratives, and biographies of the 29 local men killed in the war. The Stamford Veterans Park Partnership relies on Tony’s vast historical knowledge in his role as volunteer Historian, where his dedicated research continues to preserve the city's rich history and military legacy.
Pavia’s career is marked by numerous honors, including the Connecticut Celebration of Excellence, Junior Achievement’s Theodore White Educational Partner Award, and the Yerwood Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Education. A dedicated local historian, he has been recognized by the Stamford Historical Society and received the Connecticut Musical Theater Association’s Presidents Award. Additionally, he was named Man of the Year by both the Roasters and the State Street Debating Society, and in 2021, was honored with the Stamford Veterans Park Partnership’s Patriot Award.
Presented in partnership with the Stamford Veterans Park Partnership.