Niece ensures uncle’s time as POW in Vietnam secured in D.C. so others can learn (John Stavast)

Kathryn Mann of Arvada knew the trove of wartime documents she found was special.

But she didn’t know just what to do with the notes her uncle took in a Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp.

Now, thanks to her, the details of the five years Air Force Col. John Stavast spent in the Hanoi Hilton will be available to scholars and historians via the Library of Congress.

“The magnitude of this was overwhelming to me,” Mann said. “The more I read about his time in prison, the more I thought, ‘How could you do this to my Uncle John?’ To my family, he was Superman.”

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

David Everett ’65, Former POW, Visits STA

Ever-vigilant, our archivist pursued the lead and discovered that Everett was a 1965 graduate of St. Albans. Wilkerson found his phone number and gave him a call, and they had a long conversation. Soon Upper School history teachers Ben Labaree and Robert Shurmer were exchanging emails with Everett, leading to

Read More »