''Harold G. Strait'' (born Aug. 12, 1898, died Dec. 15, 1983) was a prominent resident of

Mansfield, Pennsylvania Mansfield is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in east-central Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Tioga River (Chemung River), Tioga River valley. It is situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route ...

. He was the son of George and Anna Strait. Harold Strait was the president of the Appalachian Thruway Association of

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...

. 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. Harold Strait was a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

veteran who served in the U.S. Army. He graduated from the Mansfield Normal School, today

Mansfield University Mansfield University of Pennsylvania is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located it in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the campus' total enrollment is 1,6 ...

. While studying at Mansfield, Strait became a dedicated member of the

Delphic Fraternity 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 ...

. He was one of the last initiated members of 1915 and helped schedule fraternity reunions until the 1960s. 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 The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

and the

Kiwanis Club Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

. He was also an active member of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, achieving the title of 33rd degree Mason.Tioga County Obituaries http://www.joycetice.com/obitcemt/oakwobits.htm 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strait, Harold G. 1898 births 1983 deaths People from Tioga County, Pennsylvania