Sturley, Eric Avern (01046290)

Eric Avern Sturley
Personal details
Born	9 June 1915 Dibden, England
Died	23 March 2010
Nativity	Great Britain
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	01046290

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Eric Avern Sturley (1915–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Great Britain) who trained at Camp Ritchie.

Biography

Eric Avern Sturley was a Ritchie Boy. Eric was born on June 9, 1915 in Dibden, England. Eric spent a year of high school in Germany, and participated as a student and leader in the Experiment in International living. He became fluent in both German and French. He attended Yale University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. His post graduate studies were interrupted by WWII. He was inducted into the Army in May 1942, and that November he received a commission as a Second Lieutenant at the A.A. School at Camp Davis, NC. He was stationed at camp Edwards, Mass., for several months and afterwards at Fort Washington and then Camp Ritchie. He was sent overseas April 1943, and he served in the US Army as an interpreter and intelligence officer in North Africa and throughout the campaign in Europe. Following WWII, he remained in the Army reserves and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Eric continued his education and completed his Masters degree in Mathematics at Yale, and then earned a Doctorate of Education degree from Columbia University. He taught briefly at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, and then joined the faculty of Southern Illinois University in Alton IL prior to the construction of the Edwardsville campus. In addition to his duties as a math professor at SIUE, Dr. Sturley performed administrative duties as the head of the graduate school, and the Dean’s College. He also led two teams of educators in a partnership between SIU and the U.S. Agency for International Development to Bamako, Mali and Kathmandu, Nepal. The missions were to help improve secondary educational systems in 3rd world countries. Eric enjoyed bicycling, tennis, and was a member of the St. Louis Soaring Association, and of the St. Louis Bicycle club. He was a long time member of the 1st Unitarian Church of Alton IL, and was active in the Sierra Club. He was an avid proponent of environmental conservation long before it became popular. Eric made arrangements to donate his body to Washington University Medical School. Eric Avern Sturley passed away March 23, 2010 at the age of 94.

Research notes

No notes were in the source row. Add what you know.

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	95
row_source	demographics

Sources

• Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
• NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
• 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-18 (1 post)