Catherine (“Kay”) N. Stratton’s family was so appreciative of the many decades of care given to her by Grace Cottage and Dr. Robert Backus that they wanted to link these names in perpetuity. The wife of MIT’s 11th President (the late Julius Stratton), Kay’s favorite place in the world was her beloved farmhouse, Toby Hill, that the couple purchased in South Newfane, VT, in 1941. Summers spent there with friends and family, including her three daughters, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter, were filled with gardening, preserving fruits and vegetables, and entertaining. When the summer of her 100th year came to a close and she knew she had to go back to the Boston area for the winter, her health suddenly declined and she died at Toby Hill instead, just after Labor Day weekend. “She taught us how to live and she taught us how to die,” said her daughter, Cay Stratton, who is on the Grace Cottage Foundation Board.
“People have told us that they really appreciate the new reception area,” said Roger Allbee, CEO. “It’s spacious, comfortable, and affords a level of privacy that we could never offer when outpatients had to wait in the hospital hallway.”
Photo Caption: The Catherine N. Stratton Reception Area ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pictured above (l. to r.): Andrea Seaton, Grace Cottage Foundation; Kathleen Meeks; Roger Allbee, CEO; Helen & Butch Brown, Cay Stratton, Sherry Lawrence, and Cary Stratton Boyd.
