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New Coronado gate to be named for Stockdale

SAN DIEGO — Navy officials are scheduled on Thursday to officially dedicate the main entrance to Naval Air Station North Island, in Coronado, Calif., in honor of one of Coronado’s naval heroes.

The recently configured, $10.2 million entrance to the air station, part of Coronado Naval Base, will be named in honor of the late Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale.

The new main entrance, at Third Street and Alameda Boulevard, eliminates the limited series of turns onto Alameda that was required of visitors and others using the main gate, which was at Fourth Street. The new main gate provides a direct entry into the air station from Third Street, as well as a visitor center, pass and ID office, and waiting area for taxis and shuttles. Meanwhile, Fourth Street will serve as the primary exit.

The new entrance, with up to five entry lanes, has eased much of the rush-hour traffic jams into North Island, which often forced congestion onto local residential roads and, at times, stretched onto the Coronado Bay Bridge.

Stockdale, a former fighter pilot and Vietnam War prisoner of war, was awarded the Medal of Honor. He died in 2005 at age 81 in his Coronado home. The former vice presidential candidate was a longtime resident of the coastal beach community, where he and his wife, Sybil, raised their four sons.

More than 300 people, including Stockdale’s former presidential running mate, H. Ross Perot, are expected to dedicate and unveil the Stockdale Gate at 11 a.m. Thursday