Dorothy C. Stratton Captain Dorothy C. Stratton, USCGR, was born in Brookfield, MO, on March 24, 1899, to parents Rev. Richard Lee Stratton and Anna (Troxler) Stratton. She attended the Ottawa University in Kansas, earning a B.A. degree in 1920. She alternated between teaching at high schools and studying, receiving degrees of Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of Chicago and Doctor of Philosophy Student Personnel Administration from Columbia University. Dr. Stratton became the first full-time dean of women at Purdue University in 1933 and in 1942, she was commissioned a Senior Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Later in 1942, she was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard where she became the creator and first director of the Women's Reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II. Upon being named director, she was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and was promoted to Commander in January 1944 and Captain one month later. She was awarded the Legion of Merit medal for her contributions to women in the military upon retirement in 1946. The nautical title of SPAR, as the Women's Reserve was commonly known, was originated by Stratton. She was director of personnel at the International Monetary Fund and served for 10 years as national director of the Girl Scouts of America. She was the United Nations representative of the International Federation of University Women and chairwoman of the women's committee within the President's Commission on Employment of the Handicapped. Captain Stratton passed away at the age of 107 on September 17, 2006, in West Lafayette, IN. In 2001 the Coast Guard Women's Leadership Association name its leadership award in her honor; Ottawa University Alumni Association awarded its Outstanding Achievement Award to Statton in 2005 and in 2008, the University of Chicago Alumni Association presented her their Public Service Award, and in 2010 the Coast Guard christened its third National Security Cutter the USCGC STRATTON WMSL 752 in her honor.