Volunteer Spotlight: Kathy Stratton’s Decades of Service

Kathy Stratton and daughter Rachel Morse reading to children at the Copper Valley Community Library. Photo provided by Sarah Eggebroten.

by Anna Somers

This April, the Glennallen area will wish a very fond farewell to one of its longest-residing residents. Kathy Stratton, who has been part of the Glennallen community for the past 42 years, will be moving to the Matsu Valley. She will be leaving behind a legacy of volunteer work and a community that is richer for all the hours of service she offered.

Stratton grew up in Minnesota, where as a young adult she taught fifth grade. In 1975, she came to Alaska looking for a teaching job and instead met the man she would one day marry, Robert “Bob” Stratton. Bob Stratton first arrived in Alaska in 1949. He served in the second state legislature and owned several gas stations, including The Hub, which he both started and named.

In 1983, the couple made Glennallen their permanent home. Kathy raised their five children here and also helped her husband run and manage the Quick Stop gas station. Once her children were grown, Stratton began working for the Copper Valley Library.

“I like books and working with the public,” she said to describe why this job was such a good fit for her. As a former teacher, as well as a mother and, by now a grandmother, Stratton especially enjoys working with the children and collections of children’s books.

When she first started at the library in 2008, Stratton had limited technological experience. “It was amazing to me because I had never worked with computers at all. To see all the things that the computer would do as far as checking out books and keeping track of patrons — it astounded me.”

Advancements in technology are not the only changes Stratton has witnessed at the library. “Things have changed quite a bit with COVID. There’s less browsing and hanging around.” She also mentioned she doesn’t see as many homeschool families at the library as she used to before COVID.

Nevertheless, Stratton’s pride in the Copper Valley Library is evident. Stratton is especially proud of the Alaskan nonfiction section, chuckling when she mentioned that sometimes people find books there they couldn’t even find in Fairbanks, which is renowned for its Alaskana resources.

Kathy Stratton smiles against an icy backdrop at the Arctic Winter Games. Photo proved by daughter Sarah Abbott.

When she first started working at the library, Stratton was hired by the MASST (Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training) program. Now, the library is staffed entirely by volunteers, and Stratton continues to be involved, donating one afternoon a week to make sure the doors are open for patrons and visitors.

“Volunteers really add a lot to the community. They really keep things going,” Stratton told me, mentioning other local organizations like The Crisis Pregnancy Center, Senior Center, and Emergency Medical Services, which all rely heavily or exclusively on volunteers.

Speaking of the valley, Stratton said, “It’s a beautiful area. It’s a community that always comes together to help people in need.”

Sarah Eggebroten is another volunteer who works with Stratton at the Copper Valley Library. “Kathy will be dearly missed by her fellow volunteers and our library patrons,” Eggebroten wrote in a message exchange. “She has been a familiar, friendly face and given uncounted hours of service to her community for as long as many can remember. We wish her the best with gratitude while knowing things will not be the same without her.”

Glenna DuFresne, another long-term Glennallen resident, has known Kathy for nearly forty years. “She was always involved in the school where her kids were, volunteering in many capacities like bake sales or fundraisers for any of the school projects,” DuFresne said.

Now, DuFresne and Stratton often work together as volunteers at the senior center. “She always has a positive attitude and helps anyone who has a question or a need. She is always, always cheerful and ready to help anybody in any way.”

Stratton will be relocating to Palmer later this month. An open house get-together was held in her honor at the Glennallen Senior Center on April 10.

The Copper River Record seeks to recognize local volunteers in future articles. If you'd like to nominate someone for volunteer recognition, please email contact@copperriverrecord.net