James W. Stratton was a member of the Board of Trustees of Thomas Jefferson University from 1970 until his passing in 2012. Invited by then-President William Bodine, Jr., Mr. Stratton at the age of 34 was the youngest term trustee to be elected in over a century at Jefferson. He chaired the Board from 1990 to 1995, and in December 2005, he earned emeritus trustee status.

Both personally and through the Stratton Foundation, Mr. Stratton supported many of Jefferson’s philanthropic initiatives, including most recently the Dorrance H. Hamilton Building, the Farber Institute for Neurosciences, and the Jefferson Breast Care Center. He also established a scholarship in honor of his friend and colleague, President Emeritus of Thomas Jefferson University, Paul C. Brucker, MD. The scholarship benefits Jefferson Medical College students enrolled in the MS-MD program with Pennsylvania State University.

A graduate of Penn State, Mr. Stratton received his B.S. in Geophysics, and later earned an MBA with high distinction, as a Baker Scholar, from the Harvard Business School. In 1960, he joined the Philadelphia-based investment-counseling firm, Cooke and Bieler, where he subsequently became Vice President, Director, and shareholder. In 1965, he joined Drexel & Co. in the Investment Advisory Department where he had direct responsibility for the management of the firm’s investment advisory operations. In 1970, he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of Drexel Firestone, Inc. In 1972, he founded Stratton Management Company and Stratton Multi-Cap Fund. He was Chairman of Stratton Holding Company and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Funds. He also served on the Board of Directors of numerous companies including AVC, Budd Company, Quaker Chemical, Teleflex, SEI Corp., Alco Standard, Gilbert Associates, and Unisource.

In 1988, Mr. Stratton and his wife Arlene established the Stratton Foundation to assist educational and environmental endeavors in Pennsylvania, as well as to support programs which protect natural resources. The Stratton Foundation has provided grants to healthcare initiatives as well.