Meet Tim Stratton
By Beverly J. Clark, Publicity Director
In March 2018 after 31-and-a-half years, Tim Stratton retired from the Los Angeles Convention Center. He started with the City in 1986 as a Mechanical Helper. In 1987, he moved to the Los Angeles Convention Center starting as a Mechanical Repairer I and advancing as Mechanical Repairer II, Sr. Mechanical Repairer I, Sr. Mechanical Repairer II, and retiring in 2018 as a Building Repair Supervisor. Tim and his wife, Catherine Hagopian, have been married for 29 years and have two daughters and two sons.
What hobbies and activities do you enjoy in retirement?
“I enjoy working with my son, David, on my ‘65 Chevy pickup and his pickup, gardening, and woodworking. I also enjoy ATV off-roading. I usually travel to Northern Arizona and Central Colorado. In 2022, we visited Lake Tahoe and Virginia City; Wendover, Utah, and the Salt Flats; Cheyanne, Wyoming; and the Frontier Days Museum. We also visited the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.”
What agencies and/or organizations are you involved in since retiring?
Young Marines
graduation ceremony.
“I am very involved in various organizations that keep me busy and fulfilled. I am a member of RLACEI, of course, and I have been a Commanding Officer for 16 years with the Santa Clarita Valley Young Marines. I am a member of President Ronald Reagan Detachment #597 of the Marine Corps League; a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW); LA County Chapter of Marines and FMF Corpsmen; and a member of Valencia Hills Community Church.”
Are there any words of wisdom you have for those about to retire?
“Find something you like to do, stay busy, but not too busy, and travel if you can to places you haven’t seen, even if it is local.”
What was the smartest thing you did to prepare for retirement?
“I was able to participate in reciprocity by buying back four years of my active-duty time in the Marine Corps early and stayed in the Marine Corps Reserves until retirement as a Master Sergeant. This enabled me to retire at 55 years old!”
What do you miss or don’t miss about your years of service with the City of Los Angeles?
“I do miss working with the good people at the Convention Center. Some of us had worked together for 20 to 25 years.”
As you reflect on your City career, would you have done anything differently?
“Looking back on my career, I think it went really well. I was able to work with various City departments while at the Convention Center. I enjoyed my job(s), which allowed me to work with the public and to be able to see and participate in so many different events.”
How do you fill your days in retirement?
“Our days are pretty full. We have a son who is autistic and is still in school, so he keeps us pretty busy.”
If you could change one thing about retired life, what would it be?
“There really isn’t anything I would change. I get to sleep in until 6 a.m. and can spend more time with my wife and son.”
Since the onset of COVID, how has life changed for you?
“COVID really didn’t change our lives in the long run, just during the lockdown period. We are pretty much back to normal.”
