As a post-war child during a time of national restructuring, Sandra Ericson migrated with her family to different states looking for a new beginning. She realized then how important it was to have survival skills, which led her later to study home economics at San Jose State University for her BA and then to go on to an MA in Human Relations from San Francisco State University.
As a home economist, she chaired the Consumer Arts and Science Department for 28 years at City College of San Francisco. Those were tough years as the Bay Area experienced political upheaval and the fallout from the Vietnam War, the Free Speech movement, and the Black Power movement. It was a difficult time for new immigrants and returning veterans. Her classes featured 11 languages, and all students were trying to assimilate into a new culture and to find a future. Helping them do so became Ericson’s mission.
Ericson has been actively involved with her community in many different capacities, teaching English as a second language and serving on many boards, commissions, and task forces. She was, for example, a founding member of the Marin County chapter of the National Organization for Women, one of the first chapters.
She established the Center for Pattern Design, an international for-profit publishing company for professional apparel pattern designers, and Antiquity Press, specializing in the home and lifestyle genre. Her knowledge of textiles and design made her an expert consultant for Entertainment Research Group, Napa, California, in designing and producing character costumes for Fortune 500 companies, Disney, circuses, theater groups, and significant seasonal parades.
Ericson is a strong advocate for the critical educational need for human ecology education in all public schools.