The Stratton Family
 According
to those who knew her well, Ann’s family was of central importance to her.
She was born into a prominent family in 1924. Her maternal great-grandfather
had been a general in the Union Army, and Ann’s lineage extended back to
the Mayflower settlers. Her father, Lorenzo Wilder Stratton, was a successful
businessman in the oil industry, and Ann’s mother, Grace Reed Stratton,
was involved in the League of Women Voters. Ann would also serve this organization—and
it would provide her entrée into the world of city government.
Pictured at right: Ann Wilder
Stratton ’46 on the lap of her mother, Grace Reed Stratton.
Ann’s Wells Experience
 World
War II provided the global context of Ann’s education, and she was actively
engaged in debates surrounding the War and its aftermath. An Economics-Government
major, Ann participated in a panel on “post-war settlements designed to
prevent another world conflagration,” and moderated a five-college roundtable
on American foreign policy. Above, Ann is pictured (seated, third from
left) with the Senior International Relations Club, 1945–46. Her inclination
to serve the disadvantaged also surfaced during her time at Wells. In addition
to War-related volunteerism, Ann spent the summer of 1944 caring for child
migrant workers around New York State.
Pictured above: Senior International
Relations Club
Rear, (L-R): Mabel Hebberd;
Jean Sweany; Barbara Corning; Anne Wilson; Elizabeth Cahn (President);
Ardelle Kocher (Secretary-Treasurer)
Front, (L-R): Lisbeth Ann
Stecher; Julia Nash; Ann Stratton; Betsy Rieley; Betty Lee; Jean Smith;
Jean Reinbrecht (kneeling); Lynn Troll; Martha Youmans; Pamela Dunn; Frances
Miller
Ann’s Dedication to Service
 Ann
spent 22 years as a social worker in Philadelphia before returning to Shreveport
and her elderly parents. Upon her arrival in Shreveport, she “threw herself
into things” and became, among other things, a board member of the League
of Women Voters. In 1976 Ann became that organization’s appointee to the
City Government Study Committee, which found Shreveport’s form of city
government unconstitutional and set about designing a new one. Once the
new government was in place, Ann dedicated her time to watchdogging it,
acting as the public’s advocate and earning a reputation as a witty, sharp,
and astute critic. She was especially concerned with issues of government
transparency, racial discrimination, housing, and social services. “I’m
a gadfly,” she told a reporter from the Shreveport Times with characteristic
good humor. “I realize that’s not a nice term, but that’s what I am!”
Pictured at right: Ann at
Shreveport City Hall, 1989. Note her Wells ring!
|
Flowers in honor of Ann
and the Class of 1946
This lovely arrangement was
sent to Wells on Stratton Hall dedication weekend by Ann’s classmate Martha
Youmans Gregory ’46. Martha was Ann’s roommate in their junior year.
|
| The Life of Ann Wilder
Stratton '46
Click on the image on the
right for a poster on the life of Ann Wilder Stratton '46.
(PDF format. Requires Adobe
Reader.) |
 |
Schedule of Events
| Places to Stay
Key Speakers
| Directions
Last updated 10/16/2007 |
