William C. Sturgeon

STURGEON William C. Sturgeon died October 11, 2012, at the age of 95. He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, the former Mary Sands Dreisback, a native Mobilian, by a granddaughter, Lisa Kay MacKinnon, and by a sister, Kay Sturgeon Smith. Sturgeon was born in Utica N.Y. on April 13, 1917, the first-born of William Davis Sturgeon and Katherine Mate Sturgeon. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, having enlisted in September 1940. He was a specialist in the Signal Corps and served in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. One of his early postings was to Drew Field in Tampa. He set up a civilian watch outpost in Mobile, where he met his future wife, Mary Sands, and was impressed enough by this beautiful city to make it his lifelong home. At the end of the war, Sturgeon joined a family business, Mobile Elevator Company, and ran it successfully as a partner and owner for several years. Seeing a need for a trade publication for the elevator industry, Sturgeon started the magazine, ELEVATOR WORLD, in 1953 and served as its first editor. In that capacity, he traveled the world writing articles for the magazine. ELEVATOR WORLD has been headquartered in Mobile for over 60 years and has supported start-up magazines and associations in many countries, including Italy's Elevatori magazine, Germany's Lift Report magazine and the British Lift Association among others. An important part of Sturgeon's elevator industry career came about with the start of a U.S. trade organization, the National Association of Elevator Contractors, in 1950. He served as a director on the first NAEC board, as volunteer executive director and, ultimately, became president of the association. He was a founder of the Canadian Association of Elevator Contractors and helped found the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities .He was instrumental in the establishment of the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation, an industry non-profit that teaches safety on elevators and escalators to young school children. Sturgeon served on several local boards in Mobile, and in 1953, he took on a volunteer position as civil defense director for Mobile County. He led the largest evacuation event in history, 55,000 Mobile school children. Sturgeon is survived by a loving family: a daughter, Ricia Hendrick (Jimmy), a grandson, T. Bruce MacKinnon (Dana), six great-grandchildren, Clint MacKinnon, Olivia MacKinnon, Mary Thomas MacKinnon, Eli MacKinnon, Lily Grace MacKinnon and Harbour MacKinnon, all of Mobile, and a sister, Jeanne Blackburn of McAllen, Texas, and nieces, Chris Layfield, Valerie Blackburn and Adrienne Coffey, Melissa Trimble, Kimberly Works and a nephew, Jay Blackburn. Special friends and helpers are Morris Elliot and Lillie Pitts who have served him faithfully and well. He was grateful for the long friendship of Robert Denniston, Dot Pappas, George Strakosch and Carl White. A special thanks is extended to his long-time doctor, Thomas McGee. Sturgeon lived a rich and rewarding life, enjoying his family and a wealth of friends in many countries and in the elevator industry. He recently completed and published his memoir, "More Ups Than Downs," a story of the life and times in which he lived. Sturgeon has been a long-time member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. A memorial service is planned for the future at a time to be announced by the family. Suggested memorials in his honor may be made to the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation, 362 Pinehill Drive, Mobile, AL 36606, or to a charity of your choice.