Latest news with #Sturgess
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Blast from the past: Boks beat Canada in WC group match, huge scuffle steals the show
1951 — Eric Sturgess, who had rallied from 1-4 down in the fifth and final set to win his semifinal against Australian Ken McGregor, goes down to his Czech-born doubles partner Jaroslav Drobny of Egypt 3-6 3-6 3-6 in the final of the French championships in Paris. Drobny, who won an Olympic ice hockey silver playing for Czechoslovakia in 1948, retained the French championship the following year and went on to win a Wimbledon title, the only man with African citizenship to do so. For Sturgess, 31 at the time, it was his last singles final in a grand slam, having lost in Paris in 1947 and at the US Open in 1948. Sturgess, an accountant, was a Spitfire pilot in World War 2 and was captured after bailing out during a sortie. He spent the last seven months of the war in the Stalag Luft III camp made famous by the Steve McQueen movie The Great Escape...
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Atlanta World War II Nayy veteran dead at 103
The Brief Atlanta World War II veteran Albert Henley "Hank" Sturgess Jr. died on Sunday at the age of 103. Sturgess earned nine battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation for his bravery while serving in the South Pacific during World War II. He lived in Georgia for the rest of his life after coming home from his service. ATLANTA - An Atlanta World War II veteran who fought in the South Pacific will be laid to rest this week. Albert Henley "Hank" Sturgess Jr. died on Sunday at the age of 103. The backstory Born in 1921 in Pennsylvania, Sturgess moved to Atlanta in 1931 with his parents. Outside his time in the Navy, he lived in Georgia for the rest of his life. Good Day's Buck Lanford met Sturges in 2023 when the veteran was celebrating his 102nd birthday. The metro Atlanta man worked as the CIO on the destroyer USS Radford, and received a Presidential Citation from the Secretary of the Navy for his bravery in combat. He once led the rescue of hundreds of survivors of the sunken cruiser USS Helena while under attack from Japanese warships. Sturgess told Lanford that he remembered being at "the tip of the spear" serving near the Solomon Islands. "We had to act very quickly with the information we had," he said. "We couldn't contemplate it. We just had to act." After the war, Sturgess remained active in his community, eventually being named Atlanta Realtor of the Year. He was also president of the Sandy Springs Chamber of Commerce and president of the Sons of the American Revolution. What they're saying When asked by Lanford about his secret to living a long life, Sturgess was extremely modest. "It's all by God's grace because I didn't do anything different. I lived the same life that you're living now. It's just by God's grace that he's allowed me to live as long as I have," he said. What's next A celebration of Sturgess' life will be held at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Sandy Springs 30327 at 10 a.m. on Friday. In lieu of flowers, the family says contributions may be made in his name to the missions fund at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, where Sturgess served as deacon and elder. He is survived by his son, Robert Henley Sturgess, daughter-in-law Anne Sturgess, granddaughter Frances Julia Sturgess, stepsister Eleanor Whitfield, cousin Jerry Mowell, and several nephews and nieces. The Source Information for this story came from a previous FOX 5 report by Buck Lanford and Albert Sturgess, Jr,'s obituary.
