Fred Gillette "Ted" Sturm

Family-Placed Obituary


STURM, Fred Gillette "Ted" (10/15/1925 - 1/21/2006) Was professor of philosophy at the University of New Mexico for thirty years, following twenty years at Western College in Oxford, Ohio. He "retired" in the spring of 2005, but continued teaching two courses as an emeritus professor in the fall, and had planned to continue to do so. He had a particular interest in the arts, religions, and systems of thought of non Western European cultures, especially those of China and of the Americas, but including Africa, the Middle East, east Asia, and the Indian subcontinent as well. He was a pioneer in studying and taking seriously the worldviews of non-literate societies, and in relating those views to the ideas and systems of more formal philosophy. In his approach to education, he sought above all to inspire in each of his students the excitement of learning, and to encourage independence of thought. He was very supportive of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies, and worked closely with colleagues from other fields to develop programs in Latin American Studies, Asian Studies and Religious Studies. He played a leading role in transforming the curriculum of Western College from a traditional one to an innovative program known as "Freedom with Responsibility", which gave each student the opportunity to design a unique course of study with the aid of a mentoring professor. He later brought that concept to UNM, where he was deeply involved in designing the Bachelor of University Studies program. Born in Batavia, NY to Eleanor Louise Gillette and Fred William Sturm, he received his BA from Allegheny College, Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, Master of Arts from University of Rochester, and PhD from Columbia University, where his dissertation was on Brazilian philosopher Raimundo de Farias Brito. He was an ordained minister in both the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ, and served as a Methodist missionary in Brazil, teaching philosophy and religion at the Faculdade de Teologia in Campinas, before beginning his academic career in the United States. He was an active member of many scholarly societies, including the Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, the Society for Iberian and Latin American Thought (founding member), Instituto Brasileiro de Filosofia, the American Phenomenological Society, the American Philosophical Association, the Society of Philosophers in America (founding member and current president), the Royal Asiatic Society, the International Society for Chinese Philosophy, and the American Association of Teachers of Chinese Language and Culture (later the American Association for Chinese Studies). He was founding editor of the Journal of Chinese Studies. He published numerous articles in scholarly journals, encyclopedias, and compendia, and was co-editor of three books: African Religion: A Symposium, Pueblo Style and Regional Architecture, and Brazilian Studies: a Guide to the Humanities Literature. He was the recipient of two Fulbright grants and a Gulbenkian grant, and traveled extensively, spending extended periods of time studying and teaching in Brazil, Portugal and China, and visiting and studying in India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, most countries of Latin America, and others. He was a long time member of La Segunda Iglesia Congregational in Albuquerque, where he served as pianist. He was closely involved with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center from its beginning, and in the creation and development of its archives. He is survived by his wife, Katherine, of Albuquerque; brother Douglas of Lewisburg, Pa; daughter Margaret and granddaughter Puni of Kaneohe, Hawaii; son Fred, grandson Franz and granddaughter Lora of Albuquerque; and many other extended family and loved ones. Following his passing in Lancaster, Pa., he was interred in Lebanon, Pa. A memorial service in Albuquerque will be announced at a later time. Donations in his memory, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Institute for Pueblo Indian Studies at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.