Reed Erickson - Early Life

Early Life

Reed Erickson was born as Rita Alma Erickson in El Paso, Texas, on October 13, 1917. When Erickson was still quite young the family moved to the Olney area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Erickson was a good student who attended Wagner Junior High and the Philadelphia High School for Girls, where he became involved with a circle of lesbian women and started using the nickname Eric when amongst them. Erickson attended Temple University, 1936 to 1940. In 1940 the Erickson family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Erickson's father had transferred his lead smelting business. In Baton Rouge, Erickson worked in the family smelting business and attended Louisiana State University. In 1946, Erickson became the first biologically female graduate from LSU's school of mechanical engineering.