Harold G. Strait (born Aug. 12, 1898, died Dec. 15, 1983) was a prominent resident of Mansfield, Pennsylvania. [1] He was the son of George and Anna Strait.
Mansfield is a borough located in east-central Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Tioga River valley. It is situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Business Route 15, about 36 miles (58 km) southwest of Elmira, New York.
Harold Strait was the president of the Appalachian Thruway Association of Tioga County, Pennsylvania. On June 26, 1987 the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation dedicated the Harold G. Strait Memorial Highway in honor of the long-time Mansfield resident who worked hard for better highways. [2]
Tioga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,981. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. It is named for the Tioga River.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Leslie Richards. Presently, PennDOT supports over 40,500 miles (65,200 km) of state roads and highways, about 25,000 bridges, as well as new roadway construction, the exception being the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, although they currently follow PennDOT policies and procedures. In addition, other modes of transportation are supervised or supported by PennDOT. These include aviation, rail traffic, mass transit, intrastate highway shipping traffic, motor vehicle safety & licensing, and driver licensing. PennDOT also supports the Ports of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie. The current budget is approximately $3.8 billion in federal and state funds. The state budget is supported by the motor vehicle fuels tax which is dedicated solely to transportation issues.
Harold Strait was a World War I veteran who served in the U.S. Army. [3] He graduated from the Mansfield Normal School, today Mansfield University.
World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.
While studying at Mansfield, Strait became a dedicated member of the Delphic Fraternity. [4] He was one of the last initiated members of 1915 and helped schedule fraternity reunions until the 1960s.
The Delphic Fraternity, Inc., also known as Delphic of Gamma Sigma Tau, is a historic multicultural fraternity originally founded in New York State in 1871 and re-established in 1987. The fraternity can trace its origin back to the Delphic Society founded in 1850.
Strait was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Tioga County Historical Society. Strait held the position of Chief Clerk of Tioga County from 1941 through 1946. He was a member of many civic organizations in Mansfield, including the American Legion and the Kiwanis Club. He was also an active member of Freemasonry, achieving the title of 33rd degree Mason. [5]
The American Legion is a U.S. war veterans' organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of local posts. The legislative body of The American Legion is a national convention, held annually. The organization was founded on March 15, 1919, at the American Club near Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, by members of the American Expeditionary Forces, and it was chartered on September 16, 1919, by the U.S. Congress.
Freemasonry or Masonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. The degrees of Freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow, and Master Mason. The candidate of these three degrees is progressively taught the meanings of the symbols of Freemasonry, and entrusted with grips, signs and words to signify to other members that he has been so initiated. The initiations are part allegorical morality play and part lecture. The three degrees are offered by Craft Freemasonry. Members of these organisations are known as Freemasons or Masons. There are additional degrees, which vary with locality and jurisdiction, and are usually administered by their own bodies.
Harold Strait operated Strait's Hardware in Mansfield, a family business from 1891 to 1971, until he retired. Strait was honored with a 50-year certificate from the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce.
Strait was married to Helen Stepler, a native of Chambersburg. They had no children. Upon his death Strait was married to Marguerite C. Strait.
