Eleanor Kratz Denoon, Founding Donor

Photo: Eleanor Kratz Denoon

The Kratz Center celebrates the life and legacy of Eleanor Kratz Denoon. In 1999, Mrs. Denoon (1915-2010) helped found the Kratz Center for Creative Writing. A teacher and public relations writer, she was a tireless champion of literature, a lifelong advocate for peace and social service in the Quaker tradition, and a beloved alumna of Goucher College. In 1936, Mrs. Denoon graduated from Goucher with a Bachelors degree in English. In 1966, she earned a Master of Education from Temple University with a specialization in the Psychology of Reading. Goucher ran in Mrs. Denoon’s family: her sister Marion Kratz Clayton graduated from the college in 1931 and her niece, Deborah Clayton Struve graduated in 1961. For 58 years, she was a member of the Doylestown branch of the American Association of University Women, and for 57 years, she was a member of the Wrightstown Friends Meeting. Mrs. Denoon worked as a writer in the public relations department at the DuPont Co.’s Wilmington headquarters from 1939 to 1942. In 1952, the family moved to a farm near Wycombe, between Newtown and Doylestown in central Bucks County. Mrs. Denoon is survived by her sons, Ashby and David, and her grandson, Derek. The Kratz Center fondly expresses its gratitude to Eleanor Kratz Denoon and her family.