Wikipedia

Dorothy C. Stratton

For the Canadian model and actress, seeDorothy Stratten.

Dorothy Constance Stratton(March 24, 1899 – September 17, 2006) is best known as the first director of theSPARS,theU.S. Coast GuardWomen's Reserve.

Dorothy Constance Stratton
Capt. Dorothy Stratton during World War II
Born(1899-03-24)March 24, 1899
Brookfield, Missouri,U.S.
DiedSeptember 17, 2006(2006-09-17)(aged 107)
West Lafayette, Indiana,U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Coast Guard
Years of service1942–1946
RankCaptain
CommandsSPARS
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsLegion of Merit(1946)
Other workDirector of Personnel (1947–1950),International Monetary Fund;
Executive Director (1950–1960),Girl Scouts of the USA

In 1942, she became the first woman to be commissioned an officer in U.S. Coast Guard and is credited with giving its Women's Reserve program the name of SPARS, an acronym created from the Coast Guard motto,SemperParatus, and its English translation,AlwaysReady.Lieutenant CommanderStratton attained the rank ofcaptainin February 1944 and served as director of the SPARS from 1942 until January 1946. She was also a trailblazer for women in other areas. She becamePurdue University's first full-time Dean of Women (1933–1942) and the first director of personnel at theInternational Monetary Fund(1947–1950). Stratton also served as the national executive director of theGirl Scouts of the USA(1950–1960).

Stratton was the recipient of awards for her public service and leadership that included aLegion of Meritfor her contributions to women in the military, theOttawa UniversityAlumni Association's Outstanding Achievement Award, and theUniversity of Chicago's Alumni Association's Public Service Award. She was awarded honorary degrees from several American colleges and universities, such as Ottawa University,Smith College,and Purdue University, among others. Stratton is the namesake of the Coast Guard's thirdNational Security Cutter,theUSCGCStratton(WMSL-752),the first National Security Cutter to be named after a woman.

Early life and education

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Dorothy Constance Stratton, the daughter of Reverend Richard L. Stratton and Anna (Troxler) Stratton, was born on March 24, 1899, inBrookfield, Missouri.Stratton's father was aBaptistminister. Her brother, Richard C. Stratton, served as acaptainin theU.S. Army'sMedical Reserve CorpsduringWorld War II.[1][2][3]

Stratton's family traveled across theMidwestduring her youth and she attended high schools inLamar, Missouri,andBlue Rapids, Kansas.She earned aBachelor of Artsdegree fromOttawa Universityin 1920, aMaster of Artsin psychology from theUniversity of Chicago,and adoctorate(Ph.D.) in student personnel administration fromColumbia University.[2]She also studied atNorthwestern University;theUniversity of Washington;University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA); andUniversity of California, Berkeley(UC-Berkeley).[3]While pursuing her advanced degrees, Stratton taught at school in Brookfield, Missouri;Renton, Washington;andSan Bernardino, California.[4]

Career

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Purdue University, Dean of Women

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In 1933, after receiving her Ph.D. from Columbia, Stratton joined the staff atPurdue UniversityinWest Lafayette, Indiana,and became as its first full-time Dean of Women.[4][5]She was also an assistant professor of psychology at Purdue and became a full professor in 1940.[2][4]

During her nine years at Purdue, the university's enrollment of women increased from 500 to more than 1,400. A large part of the increase was attributed to her efforts to develop an experimental curriculum that attracted women who preferred to study subjects other than home economics. Stratton created a liberal science curriculum for women in the university's School of Science, as well as a women's employment placement center. In addition, she helped establish a specialized training program that provided intensive training for fraternity and sorority housemothers across the country. Stratton also managed the construction of three new residence halls for women on Purdue's campus in West Lafayette.[2][6]

Military service

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In 1942 Stratton took a leave of absence from Purdue University and was commissioned as alieutenantin the Women's Reserve of theU.S. Naval Reserve,which was also known as theWAVES(Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). She later creditedLillian Moller Gilbreth,professor of engineering at Purdue, for encouraging her to join the military, but she also recalled that she was willing "to do whatever I could to serve my country" and did not need much encouragement. Stratton was among the members of the first class of the U.S. Naval Training Station atSmith CollegeinNorthampton, Massachusetts.[7]After completing her initial training, she briefly served as Assistant to the Commanding Officer of the radio school for WAVES atMadison, Wisconsin.[2]

In November 1942, afterFranklin D. Rooseveltsigned an amendment to Public Law 773 to create a women's reserve for theU.S. Coast Guard,Stratton became the first woman to be accepted into the new program.[2]She was immediately transferred from theU.S. Navyto the U.S. Coast Guard and was sent to the office of theCommandant of the Coast GuardinWashington, D.C.to organize the Coast Guard Women's Reserve. Stratton was appointed the first director of the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, promoted to the rank oflieutenant commander,and became the first woman commissioned an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.[1][5]She rose through the ranks and in February 1944 was promoted to the rank of captain.[8]

SPARS Recruitment Poster

Stratton developed the Coast Guard Women's Reserve program[5]and gave it the name ofSPARS,an acronym created from the Coast Guard motto,SemperParatus, and its English translation,AlwaysReady. As director of the SPARS, a position that Stratton held until 1946, her primary role was to originate policies for SPARS that related to procurement, training, utilization, and maintenance of its members' morale. She oversaw significant growth in the program. More than 10,000 enlisted women and 1,000 commissioned officers served as SPARS in the remaining years of the war.[2][8]

Stratton retired from the military in January 1946. Stratton remained proud of the fact the U.S. Coast Guard used the highest percentage of women of any military branch of service during the war.[1][8]

Return to civilian life

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Stratton remained active in the years following her military service. From 1947 to 1950, she worked for theInternational Monetary Fundas its first director of personnel. In 1950 she became national executive director of theGirl Scouts of the USA,a post she held until her retirement in 1960.[5]She served as aUnited Nationsrepresentative of theInternational Federation of University Womenand chaired the women's committee of the President's Commission on Employment of the Handicapped.[3]

Later years

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In 1958 Stratton appeared as a guest challenger on the television showTo Tell The Truth.[9]She was the last survivor of the original women's reserve directors who served during World War II.[10]

In 1985 Stratton relocated fromNewtown, Connecticut,to West Lafayette, Indiana, to share a home withHelen B. Schleman,the former assistant director of the SPARS and a colleague of Stratton's at Purdue University.[1][3]

Death and legacy

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Stratton died on September 17, 2006, inWest Lafayette, Indiana,at the age of 107.[3]

In 2004U.S. RepresentativeSteve BuyerofIndianapublicly commended Stratton for her leadership and patriotism.[8]At the time of her death two years later, Purdue University presidentMartin C. Jischkenoted that Stratton's roles as Dean of Women at Purdue, director of the SPARS during World War II, and her postwar career at the International Monetary Fund and as the national executive director for the Girl Scouts made her "a trailblazer in helping to create opportunities for women."[3]As its first female officer Stratton was also a pioneer for women in the U.S. Coast Guard.[4]The Dorothy C. Stratton papers are housed at the Purdue University Library, Archives and Special Collections.[11]

Honors and tributes

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Stratton was awarded theLegion of Meritin 1946 for her contributions to women in the military.[3]The certificate for the citation commended Stratton as a "brilliant organizer and administrator" who had "a keen understanding of the abilities of women and the tasks suited to their performance."[1]

The U.S. Coast Guard's Women's Leadership Association named its "Captain Dorothy Stratton Leadership Award" in her honor. Created in 2001, the award is "presented to a female officer (W-2 to O-4)" of the Coast Guard who demonstrates "leadership and mentorship and who shares the Coast Guard's core values."[2]

The Ottawa University Alumni Association awarded Stratton its Outstanding Achievement Award in 2005.[12]She was also the recipient of the University of Chicago's Alumni Association's Public Service Award. Stratton was also awarded honorary degrees from Ottawa University,Russell Sage College,Smith College,Bates College,and Purdue University. Following her death in 2006, the Dorothy C. Stratton NROTC Scholarship Fund was established at the Purdue University Foundation.[3]

In 2008 the Coast Guard named its thirdNational Security CuttertheUSCGCStratton(WMSL-752)in her honor.[2]It is the first National Security Cutter to be named after a woman.[5]

In 2016 theNational Women's History Projectselected Stratton as one of its honorees for National Women's History Month for her public service and government leadership.[5]

Stratton's work in organizing the SPARS during World War II was the subject of a short documentary film onVimeo:"Dorothy Stratton and the Spars: The Legend Continues."[13]

In 2023, Purdue University's Veteran and Military Success Center was renamed in honor of Stratton's service to the university.[14]Stratton served as Purdue's Dean of Women from 1933 until 1942, when she was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.

Selected published works

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  • "Introduction to Educational Psychology" inPsychological Bulletin34#8 (1937): 624–26
  • "Launching the SPARs" inNaval History3 #2 (1989): 58+
  • Your Best Foot Forward: Social Usage for Young Moderns(1955), co-authored with Helen B. Schleman

Notes

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  1. ^abcdeSusan Shanahan (March 1999)."Living Legend"(PDF).The Coast Guard Reservist.XLVI(3). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Coast Guard: 14.RetrievedApril 26,2017.
  2. ^abcdefghi"Dorothy C. Stratton, USCGR (WR)".U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.RetrievedApril 26,2017.
  3. ^abcdefgh"Dorothy C. Stratton, Purdue's First Dean of Women, Dies at 107".Purdue University. Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2007.RetrievedApril 26,2017.
  4. ^abcdShanahan, p. 12.
  5. ^abcdef"National Women's History Month 2016".National Women's History Project.Retrieved2016-04-15.
  6. ^"Women in Purdue History: Dorothy Stratton".Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives. Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2017.RetrievedApril 26,2017.
  7. ^Shanahan, pp. 13–14.
  8. ^abcd"105th Birthday of Capt. Dorothy Stratton, USCGR"(PDF).Congressional Record.Washington, D.C.: E437 March 24, 2004.RetrievedApril 27,2017.
  9. ^9 minutes in:https:// youtube /watch?v=eR0_Get6cwUTo Tell the Truth
  10. ^Shanahan, p. 15.
  11. ^MSF 366, Dorothy C. Stratton papers, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries. SeeJonathan McConnell (January 17, 2012)."Finding Aid to the Dorothy Stratton Papers, 1935-2006"(pdf).Purdue University Libraries.RetrievedApril 26,2017.
  12. ^"The Ottawa University Alumni Association Presents the 2005 Outstanding Achievement Award To Dorothy C. Stratton, Class of 1920"(PDF).United States Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.RetrievedApril 26,2017.
  13. ^"Dorothy Stratton and the Spars: The Legend Continues"
  14. ^"Purdue Student Success News - VMSC to Rename in Honor of Dorothy Stratton"

References

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Further reading

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  • Klink, Angie,The Deans’ Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality(Purdue University Press, 2017)
  • Mason, John T., Jr.The Atlantic War Remembered: An Oral History Collection(Naval Institute Press, 1990).
  • Stratton, Dorothy C. "Launching the SPARs."Naval History3#2 (1989): 58+.
  • Who's Who of American Women. (1959) Vol. I. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
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