Ruth Alice Erickson
Encyclopedia
Captain
Ruth Alice Erickson was the Director of the United States Navy Nurse Corps
, serving in that position from 1962 to 1966. As a LT in the Navy Nurse Corps, she witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941.
. She graduated from Methodist Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, Minnesota
in 1934.
, witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and served on the hospital ship Haven
while bringing home prisoners of war from Japan in 1945. Erickson moved through positions of increasing responsibility, including nursing supervisor, senior nurse and assistant chief of nursing services at various naval hospitals, Nurse Corps representative in the 12th Naval District and Military Sea Transport Service in Seattle, WA, and personnel officer for the Nurse Corps at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D. C.. She served as chief nurse at three major naval hospitals and, on 30 April 1962 became the Director of the Navy Nurse Corps. She retired from the U. S. Navy on 1 May 1966.
degree in Nursing Education from Indiana University
in 1953.
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Ruth Alice Erickson was the Director of the United States Navy Nurse Corps
United States Navy Nurse Corps
The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908; however, unofficially, women had been working as nurses aboard Navy ships and in Navy hospitals for nearly 100 years.-Pre-1908:...
, serving in that position from 1962 to 1966. As a LT in the Navy Nurse Corps, she witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941.
Early life
Ruth Alice Erickson was born in 1913 in Virginia, MinnesotaVirginia, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,157 people, 4,333 households, and 2,270 families residing in the city. The population density was 486.1 people per square mile . There were 4,692 housing units at an average density of 249.1 per square mile...
. She graduated from Methodist Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
in 1934.
Navy Nurse Corps career
Ruth Erickson joined the Navy Nurse Corps in July 1936. During her career she served on the hospital ship ReliefUSS Relief (AH-1)
The sixth USS Relief , the first ship of the U.S. Navy designed and built from the keel up as a hospital ship, was laid down 14 June 1917 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched 23 December 1919; and commissioned 28 December 1920 at Philadelphia, Comdr. Richmond C...
, witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and served on the hospital ship Haven
USS Haven (AH-12)
USS Haven , was the lead ship of her class of hospital ships built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Laid down as SS Marine Hawk, she was transferred from the Maritime Commission for conversion to a hospital ship, and served in that capacity through the end of the war...
while bringing home prisoners of war from Japan in 1945. Erickson moved through positions of increasing responsibility, including nursing supervisor, senior nurse and assistant chief of nursing services at various naval hospitals, Nurse Corps representative in the 12th Naval District and Military Sea Transport Service in Seattle, WA, and personnel officer for the Nurse Corps at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D. C.. She served as chief nurse at three major naval hospitals and, on 30 April 1962 became the Director of the Navy Nurse Corps. She retired from the U. S. Navy on 1 May 1966.
Education
Erickson earned a Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Nursing Education from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1953.
External links
- Nurses and the U.S. Navy -- Overview and Special Image Selection Naval Historical Center
- Oral History of LT Ruth Erickson about the attack on Pearl Harbor
- Washington Post Obituary