Merlin Stratton, Polk County

Interviewee: Merlin Stratton
Interviewer: Annette Wetteland
Date of Interview: October 31, 2007
Run Time: Approximately 30M

Cassette
Biographical Data Form
Oral History Release
Photograph (1)
Transcript

Merlin Stratton was born in 1937 in Quimby, Iowa. He spent much of his childhood helping out on the farm. It just so happened that Merlin’s father went into town one day and crossed paths with an insurance man. The man beckoned for him to come over and hear about taking out an insurance policy for polio. He purchased the policy for $10.00. That policy ended up being a good investment. Unfortunately, Merlin caught polio during the epidemic of 1952. Merlin recalled, “There were a couple of nights after we got home from school that I just did not feel good. I just didn’t feel good. Then, I woke up one morning and I couldn’t walk. My left leg would not hold me up.” Like most polio survivors, Merlin was bound and determined to carry on. He even played a little baseball in high school despite the challenge of running. “I can remember our coach,” said Merlin, “I had the brace and when I stood up that way it would lock. I broke that several times and they would stop the ball game and take it over to the shop and weld it up. Then, they would resume the game.”

Merlin was slated for the draft as Cold War hostilities continued to heat up. But, polio disqualified him from Army life. He recalled, “I was up for the draft at that time but they did not take me in the service because I wore a brace at the time. I was classified as 4F.” Overall, Merlin says he does pretty much everything he wants to do. “I don’t feel that I was ever crippled. I have lived to be 70 so far and I can’t see where polio has really done anything bad to me. I believed that when I was younger, but not anymore.”