Dorothy Stratton, 107; Led the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve During World War II

Dorothy Stratton, 107, who led the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve during World War II, died in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sept. 17, said Sally Watlington, a retired Navy captain and longtime friend.

In 1933, Stratton, then a professor of psychology at Purdue University, was named the school’s first full-time dean of women. At the time, only 500 women attended Purdue, and many were studying home economics.

During Stratton’s nine-year tenure, Purdue’s female enrollment rose to more than 1,400 and three women’s residence halls were built on the West Lafayette campus.

In 1942, she formed and became the first director of the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, after being commissioned senior lieutenant in the Navy. At the time, the function of the reserve was to free up men in the Coast Guard for service in the war.

In 1946, Stratton became the first director of personnel at the International Monetary Fund. She later served as executive director of the Girl Scouts of the USA.