[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10283-S10284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE SERVICE OF DR. DOROTHY C. STRATTON

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, on September 17, 2006, this Nation 
lost another distinguished member of our ``greatest generation,'' Dr. 
Dorothy Constance Stratton. She was 107.
  An inspirational leader and true patriot, Dr. Stratton was born in 
March of 1899, attended high school in the Midwest, and graduated from 
Ottawa University with a bachelor of arts degree in 1933. She went on 
to earn a master of arts degree in psychology from the University of 
Chicago and a doctorate of philosophy from Columbia University.
  After earning her degrees, Dr. Stratton became the first full-time 
dean of women at Purdue University. Always committed to establishing a 
more positive and constructive atmosphere for women on campus, her 
pioneering force brought to life a vision to make science more 
appealing to women. With enthusiasm and energy, she developed an 
experimental curriculum that proved successful and increased 
undergraduate enrollment of women at Purdue from 600 to over 1,400.
  In 1942, as the dark clouds of World War II gathered over our Nation, 
Dr. Statton felt compelled to duty and took a leave of absence from 
Purdue to join the Naval Women's Reserve. Shortly after receiving her 
commission in the Navy as a lieutenant, President Roosevelt signed an 
amendment to Public Law 773, thereby establishing the Coast Guard's 
Women Reserve.
  Known for her brilliance as an organizer and administrator, a newly 
promoted Lieutenant Commander Stratton was sworn in as Coast Guard 
Women's Reserve new director, simultaneously making Dr. Statton the 
first women accepted for service as a commissioned officer in the 
history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
  Lieutenant Commander Stratton immediately left her mark on the newly 
established Reserve Service. Shortly after accepting the position of 
director she sent a memo to wartime Coast Guard Commandant ADM Russell 
R. Waesche. Dr. Stratton wrote, ``The motto of the Coast Guard is 
`Semper Paratus--Always Ready.' The initials of this motto are, of 
course, S-P-A-R. Why not call the members of the Women's Reserve 
SPARs?. . . . As I understand it, a spar is a supporting beam and that 
is what we hope each member or the Women's Reserve will be.'' And so 
they were.
  Under Stratton's inspiring leadership the newly named SPARs expanded 
to include nearly 1,000 officers and over 10,0000 enlisted women. These 
dedicated, selfless women initially replaced men working in traditional 
clerical and routine services at shore stations, but as the war 
progressed, SPARs worked as parachute riggers, pilot trainer operators, 
aviation machinists' mates, and air control tower operators. Known as 
the ``women behind the men behind the guns,'' their duties eventually 
extended to include the most important port security, logistical, and 
administrative jobs. By wars end, the SPARs successes had forever 
changed the role of women in the Coast Guard, and Dr. Stratton had been 
promoted to the rank of captain, another first for the U.S. Coast 
Guard.
  Following her time as SPAR director, Dr. Stratton became the first 
director of personnel at the International Monetary Fund, followed by 
service as executive director of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. She was 
also the United Nations representative of the International Federation 
of University Women.
  History is replete with events demonstrating the service and 
sacrifices

[[Page S10284]]

made by American women. More than 400,000 women served during World War 
II. We are humbled by their love and dedication to our Nation.
  I ask my colleagues to join with me today in honoring and recognizing 
CAPT Dorothy Stratton for her service to the United States, the U.S. 
Coast Guard and its Reserve, and for the inspiration and legacy she 
created for the women of this great Nation.

                          ____________________