The Price Spratlen Family

Jan 13, 1991

-- Members: Lois Price Spratlen, University of Washington ombudsman and ombudsman for sexual harassment, and an associate professor in the UW's School of Nursing; Thaddeus H. Spratlen, professor in the Department of Marketing in the UW's School of Business. None of their children is living at home. Three out of five have master's degrees, and a fourth is pursuing one. Their children are: Townsand Price Spratlen, the youngest at 28, who just completed his master's degree and is applying for admission to the UW's doctoral program in sociology; Khalfani Mwamba, 29, an insurance salesman with A.L. Williams; Paula Spratlen Mitchell, 33, who worked for a decade with underdeveloped Native American populations and now teaches in Phoenix; Pat Spratlen Etem, 34, first woman inducted into the Cal-Berkeley hall of fame in rowing and a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic rowing teams, who now directs a program in sports and the law for the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles; Pamela Spratlen, 36, who is on assignment with the U.S. Foreign Service in Guatemala City.

-- How education was stressed: The parents say they got their boost from small-town life. She grew up in Charlottesville, Va; he grew up in Union City, Tenn. The schoolteacher also was the Sunday school teacher and would be in the choir and so exposure continued after school was dismissed. ``They knew us as individuals, they were part of everyday

community life,'' Lois said. ``It was easy to see growing up that education had real value. There weren't many different areas in which African Americans could work and education was literally the only way out of doing general labor and menial jobs.'' Thaddeus' father was a Baptist minister and many members of his mother's family were teachers. The Spratlen children grew up in university towns and credit an education laboratory on the Western Washington State College (now university) campus for developing an ongoing interest in education.

-- How the household ran: The children were paid for roles they took to contribute to the household - cooking, gardening, etc. - so their mother could continue her education. ``We've really acted as a unit, supporting one another,'' Lois said.

-- On sharing success: Most of the Spratlen offspring are involved in giving back to the community in some way. Khalfani and his wife, Gayle, work through various community organizations in the Central Area to promote cultural and personal development. Pat's work brings sports issues into social studies classes for inner-city youth and blends it with law. Townsand was involved with his parents last fall in the ``Race Relations in Academia'' conference at the UW, which looked at ways to bolster the dwindling number of African-American graduate students and to work with other campus groups. ``We know we've had opportunity that others have been denied,'' Lois said. ``We see social responsibility as a real opportunity to give back to the community. It's part of the whole Christian tradition.''

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