Crash kills George Stratton, CEO of uniform hat company
Matthew Kruk
Crash kills George Stratton, CEO of uniform hat company
November 26, 2009
BY CHERYL V. JACKSON AND RUMMANA HUSSAIN Staff Reporters
The chief executive of the world's largest maker of uniform hats died
after the car he was driving was rear-ended by another vehicle on I-55
early Wednesday.
George Stratton, 80, CEO of Stratton Hats, was driving north near Joliet
about 1:13 a.m. when a Toyota Camry struck his car.
Tommy Carter of Romeoville was cited for failing to reduce speed to
avoid an accident.
In 1972, Mr. Stratton became CEO of Stratton Hats, which was founded on
the West Side in 1935 by his Greek immigrant father, Steven.
The company also moved to its current Bellwood headquarters in 1972 and
got its first government contract to produce hats for drill sergeants.
It has been the exclusive manufacturer of such hats since.
The company, with offices in Tennessee and Missouri, had been making
civilian dress hats for men when demand sank in the 1960s.
Today, about 95 percent of its work is on uniform hats, helping outfit
law enforcement agencies in 42 states.
The Oak Brook resident was born on the Northwest Side on March 18, 1929.
After attending Austin High School, he was a minor league baseball
pitcher before marrying and then joining his father in the hat business,
said his nephew Steven W. Stratton, vice president of the company. Mr.
Stratton's wife, Dawn, died in 2004. They had been married 54 years.
Mr. Stratton took care of the books for his father and also helped him
communicate with customers.
"He had big hopes of being an architect, but they had to keep food on
the table," said his son and company president, Steven G. Stratton of
Elmhurst.
"He was the ultimate family guy," said Steven G. Stratton, remembering
Mr. Stratton coaching his youth hockey and baseball teams, enjoying
rounds of golf and playing poker.
Mr. Stratton also lead his Hellenic Lodge and was active with Kiwanis
International and the Boys & Girls Club of West Cook County.
Other survivors include his sister, Elaine Lampros; his brother, James,
and three daughters, Suzanne Heflin, Karyn and Lynn Cholewa.
Visitation is planned for Tuesday at the Chapel Hill Gardens West
Funeral Home in Oakbrook Terrace, with services Wednesday at Christ
Church in Oak Brook.
Hoodoo
(Central Standard Time), spoke thusly:
> uniform hats
They'd probably be a bigger company if they also provided for folks with
asymmetrical heads.
--
"Think with your dipstick, Jimmy."