Stratton, Hila R., 1914-2006

Desmarais, Melinda H.

Charlotte, North Carolina

J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2003-06-03

1 audio file (52:55) : digital, MP3

sound recording-nonmusical

spoken word

eng

Hila Stratton was an 89-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Dodge City, Kansas, on January 16, 1914. She was educated at Park University (Parkville, Missouri) and Presbyterian Hospital (Chicago, Illinois) School of Nursing; and was employed as a nursing educator and political candidate.

Hila Stratton reflects on her life in Charlotte, her community work, and her activist work with the Republican Party. She first moved to Charlotte during World War II with her husband Dr. David Stratton, who was an aviation medical examiner in the U.S. Army. When he was sent overseas, Mrs. Stratton remained in Charlotte, and she describes life there during the war and her experience as an officer's wife at Morris Field Air Base, which became Charlotte Douglas International Airport following World War II. Mrs. Stratton recounts the many community organizations she's been involved in over the years, in particular the local branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Stratton discusses her involvement in local politics, including her two unsuccessful campaigns for a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, detailing what it was like to be a woman running for political office in the late 1960s. Though never elected to office, she continued to play an influential role in local Republican politics, explaining that she was not afraid to take a public stance on the issues and that she considers herself to be a "Progressive Republican." Mrs. Stratton served on the Board of Directors for Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) for eight years and she talks about her experience there and how the school evolved through the 1970s and 1980s. She reflects on how Charlotte has changed as more and more people from outside the South move to the city, and how life for the city's women has changed.

MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master file. Interview originally recorded on minidisc and digitized using Digidesign 003 rack.

Political candidates
Nurses

Stratton, Hila R., 1914-2006

Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, N.C.)
Republican Party (U.S.:1854- )
Daughters of the American Revolution
American Association of University Women
League of Women Voters (U.S.)

Women political candidates
Women--Political activity
Nurses

North Carolina--Charlotte
Illinois--Chicago

Interviews
Oral histories

1930-2010

Charlotte regional oral history

Living Charlotte : the postwar development of a New South city

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Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

audio/mpeg

J. David Stratton oral history interview, 2003 May 28, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (https://goldmine.uncc.edu/islandora/object/uncc%3A8)

OH-ST0293