William C. Sturgeon Collection

William C. Sturgeon enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps six months prior to the draft for World War II. He served in all grades from Private to Captain during five years of service. Thereafter, he worked as an elevator helper and constructor and in 1947 became president of the Mobile Elevator and Equipment Company, Inc., a contracting company operating in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. From 1952 to 1956, he served as the volunteer Civil Defense Director of Mobile County, Alabama, and directed the only two evacuations held in the U.S., the last involving the movement of 55,000 city school children. He acted as consultant to federal Civil Defense Administrator Val Peterson - for three years. Bill Sturgeon founded the first trade magazine of the elevator industry - ELEVATOR WORLD in January 1953. Sturgeon is a founder of Local 124 of the International Union of Elevator Contractors. In 1961 he was chosen the elevator industry's Man of the Year and in 1995 the National Association of Elevator Contractors created the William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award to be given annually to the member of the industry making the greatest contribution to the well-being of the elevator field. Sturgeon is also a founding member of NAEC, the Canadian Elevator Contractors Association, The National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities and the Elevator/Escalator Safety Foundation.