Photo By Shelby West | Congratulations to Norfolk Naval Shipyard's August 2023 Shipyard Spotlight: Code 2370...... read more read more
Some people measure their civilian service in months, some in years, and still some, like Margaret Stroud, in decades. Six, to be exact. As of this summer, Stroud will be retiring after 60 years of federal service, and she'll be finishing right where she started, here at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY).
Stroud is unique (aside from her 60 years) because her years working on NNSY are not her only link to the installation. In fact, a member of Stroud's family has been working for the shipyard since the 1860s when one of her ancestors was here building wooden ships.
For Stroud, her journey with the Navy began early in life. Born toward the end of 1941, she was only months old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. "My parents were out having breakfast at a restaurant, and I was on the seat beside them when they heard about Pearl Harbor," she says. "My dad was a former Navy man, so it was very upsetting for him, especially a little later when his [former] ship, the [USS] Indianapolis, was sunk. And I am not sure he ever recovered from that."
Soon after, her father would pursue a job at NNSY, where he spent the next 40 years advancing through the shipyard, first as an electrician and finally retiring as a firecontrolman installing Polaris missiles. However, his daughter's pathway through the shipyard would take a different route. At 22, Stroud worked at a small office in downtown Portsmouth, Virginia, when someone approached her about working for the shipyard.
"Someone advised me that it would be a good idea to get a job at the shipyard where I would have benefits and make more money, and so I did," Stroud laughs. "I just came to the Labor Board Building, walked in, and told them I'd like a job, they gave me a test, and I made 100%, so they told me to report in two weeks!"
Stroud has plenty of stories to tell about her years at NNSY, but one story rises to the top. It was November 1963, and Stroud was a new hire at NNSY when national events made a decided impact.
"I was working there in the Labor Board Building when the girl beside me got a call, and we were told that John F. Kennedy had been shot in Texas, and later we heard that he had died," she says, shaking her head. "So, a couple of hours later, when I left the shipyard, with all the dozens of people who walked out with me, all I can remember was that [they] were such sad people." She sighs and continues, "There was a huge flag flying over that part of the shipyard, and I just looked at it, and at my young age, that was just…it may have been my first encounter with a real tragedy."
After several years and promotions, Stroud attended college classes at night to earn 24 semester hours in accounting. Looking back at that time in her life, she reflects that if she could have given her younger self advice, "I would have started going to evening college and getting my education sooner, but there wasn't a big push for women to go to college back then." Stroud's inner drive and determination pushed her to advocate for herself and seek ways to promote beyond the jobs offered to women. That drive prompted her to leave NNSY to expand her opportunities available. With her new college credentials, she set out to find other positions and spent much of her civilian career working for different service branches throughout the Hampton Roads area.
She came full circle when she returned to NNSY in 2015 as an Administrative Assistant for Code 2370.
"My present job is my favorite job... it's nice not to do the same thing hour after hour," she says. "[Here] administrative assistants get to meet and talk with the other employees, so you have the people connection I didn't enjoy as much in previous positions."
This month, Stroud will sign out of her government-issued computer for the last time and begin her next journey as a retiree. This time she plans to volunteer with children in schools and in hospice care, assisting terminally ill patients. When thinking about her retirement, Stroud reflects on a job well done: "My dad loved the shipyard so much that it made me feel good to know that he would have been proud."
After 60 years, Norfolk Naval Shipyard extends a Bravo Zulu to Margaret Stroud and offers a heartfelt thank you for her years of service. Fair winds and following seas, Mrs. Stroud, may your next journey be just as incredible as the first.
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2023 07:54 |
| Story ID: | 450496 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 307 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Shipyard Spotlight: Margaret Stroud - Living a 60-Year Legacy, by Emiley Murphy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
