Clara Strautz Boatright was born August 28, 1895 in Cairo, Illinois, to Fredrick and Catherine Casper Strautz. She attended Cairo public schools and St. Joseph’s Academy, continuing her education at Jacksonville, Normal, and LaSalle University.

She came to Marion from E. St. Louis to teach at Brown’s Business College from 1914 to 1933 (with six years out to become mother and homemaker). Clara then became principal from 1933 to 1936 when she resigned to become a private tutor. Continue reading →