I am collecting your Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholarship photos and memorabilia!
Send them to me at doll dot documentary at gmail dot com and I will post to this online scrapbook post. If you want to read winners/participant stories go here.
(Recently a gentleman sent me his photos and story and his email has mysteriously disappeared. If you read this, do you mind re-sending? I'm terribly sorry that I can't find it and would love to include your photos.)
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| Test questions from the Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow - 1956 |
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| Test questions from the Betty Crocker Search for the All-American Homemaker of Tomorrow - 1956 |
7 comments:
My sister; Robin Ward, won this award in 1974 or 1975. Unfortunately the administration at the high school she attended, Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Illinois decided not to award the scholarship to her because she didn't take any Home Economic classes. To this day I cannot believe the audacity of these administrators or the unfairness of their decision.
Claudia- thanks for leaving a comment about your sister. So unfair! And sadly, I've heard a few stories like this - school administration or a home ec teacher who didn't want to support anyone who was "with the program."
I won for Ohio in 1969. A photo of me meeting Pat Nixon ran in our home town newspaper and made my dad incredibly proud. My mother was the HS Home Ec teacher so she went on the trip to Washington and Williamsburg with me, a wonderful experience for us both. We ate at Trader Vic's in Washington, I recall, had pumpkin soup in Williamsburg and visited JFK's grave. Those things, a few of the girls, and breakfast in the White House are about all that I remember. There was an essay question on the test that asked how to encourage creativity in children. I said that the best way was for the parents to be creative themselves. When I told my mother what I wrote, she thought that was a terrible answer. We were all stunned when the telegram arrived that said that I won.
I was the Illinois winner in 1965. Our group may have been the only one to go to New York. I'm not sure about that, but we attended the World's Fair there and visited the General Mills exhibit, of course. Like Anita, above, I remember eating at Trader Vics in Washington and at the Williamsburg Inn the first evening. It was the first time I had ever had a filet mignon for dinner! We met with Muriel Humphrey, the Second Lady of the US at the time. We were instructed to wear hats and gloves. It was truly a different age. I also met Senator Paul Douglas and my Congressman, John Ehrlichman. Senator Everett Dirkson was at a meeting at the White House because of a crisis in the Dominican Republic, so I missed meeting him. And I had forgotten until I just got out the things my mother saved for me - we sent our formal dresses to General Mills ahead of time. They were professionally pressed and waiting for us in our hotel rooms when we arrived in New York. Everything on the trip was done in the best way. (By the way, I was not a home ec student, but I was accompanied by a home ec teacher whom I had never met. I went to a big high school!) I still have all the lovely notes friends and teachers sent me when I won as well as the documents I carried on the trip and all the letters General Mills sent. The local paper featured me a couple of times, and I even made the Chicago papers, near the back section. I'm compiling a scrapbook for myself 52 years after the fact.
Linda Keir Simons
Anita and Linda - I love your personal stories and would love to see pictures! Anita, I love your answer and I love that you got a telegram. And Linda, your story is very similar to that of a woman I interviewed 18 years ago. I think she must have been in your "class." But I don't remember what state she was from. She recalled being told to wear gloves and hats and meeting Muriel Humphrey. Lovely memories!!!
I won this award at my school in 1975 but was never acknowledged or given anything except for a small pin..I was never even told I won it until they gave me the pin...reluctantly I might add.
Sge, that's such a shame. Congratulations none the less!
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