On June 5, 1953, he married Mildred Boling (died January 23, 2009), with whom he had four children.
After serving in the United States Navy in 1954–1956, Still went on to the University of Alabama, where he earned his Master of Arts degree in 1958 with a thesis on "The history of the CSS Arkansas" and his Ph.D. in 1964 with a dissertation on "The construction and fitting out of ironclad vessels-of-war within the Confederacy", completed under the supervision of Professor Robert Erwin Johnson.
In 1982, he became the founding director of ECU's Program in Maritime history and Underwater archaeology.
A leading figure in the academic field of maritime history, the North American Society for Oceanic History (NASOH) awarded Still its K. Jack Bauer Award in 1988.
In addition, he served on the advisory board of the National Maritime Alliance and the United States Commission on Military History.