Theodore Sterling Beardsley

Born in East St. Louis, IL, Ted Beardsley graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1952 and earned a master's degree from Washington University in 1954. After service in the U.S. Army and post-graduate work at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961.

He married Lenora Jane Fierke of Herrin, IL, in 1955 while stationed in Germany. They have been married for 57 years.

Dr. Beardsley taught at Rider College, at Southern Illinois University, at the University of Wisconsin, and at Eckerd College. In 1965, he became the director of the Hispanic Society of America in New York City. He served as director of the Hispanic Society until his retirement in 1995 and was president of the society's board from 1995. He was a member of the Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española and the Real Academia Española.

During his career, Dr. Beardsley received numerous awards and honors for his academic work, including a Fulbright Scholarship and the Orden de Merito Civil from Spain.

Ted was known for his intelligence, his generosity, and his sociability. He traveled widely, was multi-lingual, and loved Latin music. His collection of 78 RPM records numbered in the hundreds of thousands, which he donated to form the Beardsley Music Archive at the Hispanic Society of America.

Dr. Beardsley is survived by his wife and his children, Theodore S. (Angela) Beardsley III of Bakersfield, CA; Mark A. (Kathleen) Beardsley of Allen, TX; and Mary Elizabeth Beardsley (Christopher) Land of Abbeville, SC. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Kristine, Jake, Sean and Mace of Bakersfield, CA, and Kevin and Amber of Allen, TX.

Visitation: The family will receive visitors from 3:00 - 5:00 PM on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Home located at 2405 Harbor Blvd., Port Charlotte, FL.

Burial: The burial will occur at 12:30 PM at the Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be sent to the Beardsley Music Archive at the Hispanic Society of America, 613 W. Broadway, New York, New York 10032.